Creator and Destroyer
by Lady EagleWings
Summary: What happens when your twin sister chases a guy covered in tattoos into a nightclub on your birthday? You get thrown into the Shadow World. Which was like being thrown into the deep end of the pool. Except you can't swim. And the pool is filled with man-eating monsters. And you're wearing a pair of concrete boots. Clary? She's doing great. Me? Not so much.
1. Chapter 1: The Sisters Fray

**A/N:**

 **Hi guys! So this is the result of me binge watching Shadowhunters when I was supposed to be doing actual** _ **work**_ **. Kinda-newish to posting my stories so please be nice? Please?**

 **Leave a comment if you like what you read!**

 **And yes, this is an OC story done in first person… I know, I know… what have I done right?**

 **Also… could someone please help me out here? There's going to be swearing but I'm not quite sure if that fits into the T or M section? I've seen some authors put it in M but others in T? Please help?**

 **Blanket disclaimer! Because I know I will forget if I post more chapters!**

 **I own nothing and all rights go to the Shadowhunters team and Cassandra Clare!**

 **Summary:**

 **She had grown from a terrified little girl to a warrior woman who spoke the language of heaven. She grew from a civilian to the hero that saved the world. She is not me. That hero of a woman is not me. She is my baby twin sister who I wouldn't change for the world. Me? It takes all I've got just to keep my head above water.**

 **Creator and Destroyer**

Chapter 1: The Sisters Fray

"Think she'll make it?" Simon asked waiting with bated breath and I took a long gulp of my latte.

"She'll be fine. It's Cary. She draws better than she _walks_."

"Considering the fact that she tripped over flat ground yesterday, that is not a very reassuring statement."

"Oh yeah. Okay, bad example. Scratch that. She draws better than she breathes. Happy?" I say and Simon gives me the most unimpressed stare he could muster. I put my latte down to flip him off and crunch on a cookie.

Clary, my younger sister by half an hour, was currently trying to get into the Brooklyn Arts Institute. More power to her since the number of poor artists struggling to make it through the week on nothing but instant noodles and ice cubes were through the roof. I on the other hand was hoping for a much more stable career. I'd put in my application to the Police Academy in Queens. A bit of a trek since we didn't exactly have a car but New York had decent public transport.

"Ohhh, look, there she is." Simon said standing up from our little table and I spun in my seat to see Cary walking through the door with a frown on her face. Very disappointed-kicked-puppy. Uh-oh.

"Give me the professor's names and I will _end_ them," Simon promised and I snorted. Simon was a sweet guy who couldn't threaten my fuzzy panda slippers. Seeing my disbelief Simon rolled his eyes but tacked on, "with a scathing email to the dean."

"Don't bother." Cary huffed and smacked the letter in her hand onto the table. I bent over to take a look and Simon quickly flipped it over.

Then our jaws dropped.

Stamped on the top of the paper in bright red was the word CONGRATULATIONS.

My little liar of a sister had gotten in.

And she'd _tricked_ us.

"What?!" Simon whined and then gave Clary a glower that was completely and utterly ruined by the grin that spread across his mouth. "The sad face. Well played."

"I ought to punch you!" I complain and Clary gave me a look of mock fright and held her art folder up as a shield.

"No! Please have mercy oh great Goddess of Destruction!" She wailed and I groaned.

"Shut up! That was _once_!" I say and smack the folder as Simon and Clary laugh.

"Tell that to my chair." He snickered and I flushed.

"And our coffee table." Clary tacked on and I just _knew_ those two would never stop.

"And that school desk."

"Ohhh and what about that locker door?"

"Okay, I hate you both. And that locker door was _already_ broken so it wasn't my fault!" I say in my own defence. It wasn't that I broke everything I touched but just that some things were overly fragile. Like that rusted locker door.

"Dude, you say it like the door fell off." Simon snickered and I huffed.

"It _did!_ "

"Yeah, _after_ you put a dent the size of your fist in it!" Cary snickered.

"The jackass from the football team was trying to pick on Simon, it seemed like a good idea at the time okay?!" I say in a rather valiant attempt at defending myself.

"My knight in shining armor." Simon teased. I threw my napkin at him.

"Lou, did you eat my biscotti?" Cary suddenly asked with a frown and I looked over.

"No?" I asked because I hadn't even _ordered_ a biscotti.

"Maybe you ate it really fast and didn't even notice." Simon teased "Happens to me all the time, but you know what, I will replace your mythical biscotti with a real one."

He hands over his biscotti and I offer Clary half a cookie. Clary takes the biscotti as well as the cookie. Triple chocolate fudge. Who wouldn't right?

We toast our lattes and try to tell Simon to change the name of his band. Champagne Enema was just… bad. Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck and the conversation soon got directed to Maureen's crush on Simon. Clary didn't notice the irony of teasing Simon about being dense. Especially since she never picked up on the fact that Simon had been head over heels for her since fifth grade. It was just _sad_ at this point.

And guess who was the idiot stuck in the middle? Yup. This girl.

My phone pings just as Simon's half-way through telling us about his plans for Clary's celebration tonight for the _third time_ and I fish it out of my back pocket.

"Mom wants us home. Let's pack this up boys and girls." I say with a grin and down the last of my now-cold latte and shove the last bits of my cookie into my mouth. Clary and Simon both down what's rest of their drinks and packs up. Clary takes the longest what with her two bags, art file and acceptance letter to juggle around.

We get there eventually though and we take the bus back home. Cabs in New York were expensive let me tell you that and I wasn't made out of money.

Since Simon literally lived next door, he got on the same bus and we don't split until we get to _his_ door.

Simon lived on the very end of a row of brownstones that was tucked slightly away from the main street. If you kept going past Simon's place though, you'd come across a little ally. That little ally had an arch and a gate that was hardly ever closed. It would almost look like a dodgy ally where drug deals went down if it weren't for the potted plants that you could _just_ see as you walked past. That and the fact that there was a large if slightly faded metal sign on the wall outside that advertised Greenpoint Antiquities.

Growing up in an antiques store was… interesting. And very amusing. Especially when your mother, the owner of said store, let you play with the axes and the mace and even let you try out that miniature guillotine on some carrots.

"Hey Dot, how's the future looking?" Clary asked greeting Dorothea 'Dot' Rollins who smiled, flipped over another tarot card and greeted us back. Dot was my mother's assistant when the antiques shop had gotten large enough to _warrant_ an assistant. I helped out sometimes too but it was less of the buying and selling and more of carefully putting fragile old stuff in display cases.

"Hello you two." She said and I waved and went to peer at the double-headed axe that was half-way unpacked from a large crate. "The tarot cards tell me you got in the advanced program Clary."

"And by the tarot cards, you mean Simon's twitter account?" Clary asked with a smirk and Dot looked slightly guilty.

"Okay. I follow him. Turns out, predicting the future with tarot cards is _very_ complicated." Dot said and turned over the next card. An ace of cups.

"I'll say. Is this new?" I said pointing to the axe and Dot looked over.

"And at least half a century old. Don't break it." Dot said amused and I huffed but backed off. Break _one_ morning star mace and they'll never let you live it down. It hadn't even been worth that much. "And on that note… presents!"

Both Clary and I lit up because who _didn't_ like presents? Good presents anyway. And Dot always gave the _best_ presents.

"Here, open them." Dot said eagerly handing over the bags and Clary immediately dug in. I did too and ended up pulling out a handful of crumpled rice-paper that had been used to hide the contents.

Clary pulled out a shirt and whistled.

"Wow."

"Yeah, you might want to keep that on the DL because your mom's my boss and I don't want her to flip out." Dot admitted and Clary beamed. A cool present _and_ something that a parent would disapprove of? That was like a double-gift.

"And that's how I know it's cool. You are _way_ better at gift giving than magically predicting the future." Clary said and Dot giggled. I finally got to the end of my bag and laughed.

"You're kidding." I said and slipped the silver ring on. It was a large thing, heavy and thick that went across three fingers spelling out LOUELLA in connected cursive. "You got me knuckle dusters?!"

"Well, since you tend to break so many things with just your _bare hands_ I figured this way, you might not break so much stuff." Dot teased and I laughed and admire the ring. It was gorgeous. No way was I going to risk breaking it by punching someone with it.

"Happy birthday." Dot said and gave us each a hug. "I love you both."

It was something that fit in the moment but didn't _really_ fit. Dot was like an aunt or another sister to us so of course we loved her but… there was something in the way she said it. Like it was something you say when you were afraid you wouldn't get the time to say it.

Clary picked up on it too and looked at Dot slightly confused.

"Yeah, we love you too Dot… are you okay?" She asked and Dot nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. Happy birthday girls. Now go up and see your mother." She said and whatever had happened the moment before vanished into nothing. Satisfied, Clary headed up the stairs but I lingered a little longer. I was an older sister. I was _the_ older sister. It was my job to look after Clary. So I did the big sister thing and lingered.

"Dot, is there anything going on?" I ask because I'd found out a long time ago that asking 'are you okay' usually didn't get an honest answer. Hell, even I almost always lied when someone asked me if I was okay. Usually, when someone had to ask that, it meant that you _weren't_ okay and doing a crap job at hiding it.

"No, not at all. Just a couple of bad customers today." Dot said quickly with a smile and gave me a quick one-armed hug. "You're a good girl Lou."

"If you ever need to talk…" I persisted and Dot smiled.

"I'll find you first." She promised and I left after that. I didn't think that Dot would talk to me. She was an _adult_ and despite the fact that technically, I was eighteen and thus legally an adult, I wasn't adult-adult. When I was sixteen, I thought that being eighteen would make me all worldly and grown-up. So far, nothing had changed. In all honesty, I wasn't too surprised. Simon was older than Clary and I by a good six months and we'd heard all of _his_ complaints already. The magic of turning eighteen had been well and truly shattered. Whoever said that eighteen made you an adult was a big fat liar. Eighteen didn't make you an adult. It just made you a teen with a boatload of new responsibilities without the instruction manuals for them. Something that Simon's voting fiasco could attest to.

I reached the top of the steps just in time to see Clary break out of a hug from mom and put her bags down with a smile.

"Hashtag stalker mom." She teased and I quickly headed over dumping my own much smaller bag on the floor also. Clary was the arts student with a thousand and one things in her tote bags. I was the sporty one that shoved three things into a small cheap plastic drawstring gymsack and proclaimed myself set.

"Simon's twitter again?" I asked and both my mother and my sister nodded.

"Here. Happy birthday." Mom said handing Clary a small rectangular box. Clary smiled and sat down immediately to open it. Experience had taught her that sometimes opening boxes while standing up wasn't that good of an idea. She'd broken a set of glass veils that way once because the box holding them had a particularly heavy lid.

Clary lifted the lid and I peered over her shoulder at what was inside. It was a silver thing. Long like a pen but the tip was a clear crystal. It was slightly awkward looking to hold. Triangular in shape but with a very gentle twist and decorated with strange symbols.

"It's called a stele." Mom said and Clary stared at it confused.

"What is it? Like a paperweight?" Clary asked and I had to laugh a little. Paperweight. Maybe more like a decorative pen?

"No, it's much more than that." Mom said amused "It's very ancient and I want you to have it. It's a family heirloom."

"We Frays have heirlooms?" Clary asked incredulous and mom smiled.

"A few. Speaking of. This one's for you." She said and patted the larger box on the coffee table.

"Is it another heirloom?" I ask eagerly and bend over to open the box.

"Yes." Mom said with a fond smile and I choke when I lift the lid.

It was covered with black leather upon which was worked a thousand and one symbols. The leather blended with the black metal, dulled with age but not dulled enough that I could not see more symbols crawling up the metal.

"Shut the front door." I said in amazement and gently lifted it out of the box. It took two hands so long it was. And remarkably light. But that was the thing about swords. They were heavier than you thought but also lighter. The guard was slightly curved giving way to the grip that was thick but smooth. The pommel was circular but below the circle decorated with a single symbol, there was the guard inverted in miniature making the hilt of the sword look something like a man with extraordinary long legs.

It was a Celtic-style sword. Definitely made after Roman conquest going by the design of the hilt. Consequences of living in an antique shop. You became a history buff despite not really caring all that much about it. Another fun fact, Celtic swords had _names_.

"Do be careful with that." Mom begged and I groaned.

"Let me guess. Fragile?" I ask and made to set it back into its box. Mom chuckled.

"No, I think even you won't be able to break _that_ sword. It's sharp." She told me and I stared at her and then back at the sword.

"You're not pulling my leg? You're going to give me a sword? A real honest to god sharp sword?" I ask to double check because _coolest gift ever_.

"Its name is Wallace. And yes, it's another heirloom." Mom said with a proud smile.

"Wallace." I stated the mood thoroughly broken because _who named a sword Wallace_? I mean. Really.

"It grows on you." Mom said with a laugh and I shook my head very much doubting it. Wallace. Someone had terrible naming sense. Still, despite the silly name, I quickly stepped away so I could _draw_ it because I mean, come on. Who wouldn't want to?

It slid out of the sheath smooth as if I was drawing it from water without a hint of catch. There was no rasp, no 'schwing' sound, no bright gleam upon the long blade. The blade that flowed from the leather was silent and surprisingly dulled. But it was still beautiful. The symbols that stretched from the hilt dipped down the sword in the blood groove joining the blade and hilt as one. The term 'blood groove' was a little misleading. In fact, the groove that ran down the length of the blade had nothing to do with blood. It was what allowed the blade to be so light and still maintain its strength. Without it, it would either double in weight or break upon its first impact.

I ran a careful finger down the groove feeling the indents of the symbols. They seemed to _mean_ something. Something that wasn't just 'oh it looks pretty'. But what that 'something' was I did not know.

It was still the coolest thing ever.

Suddenly Clary's phone rang and both mom and I looked over. Clary pulled out her phone and took a quick glance.

"Simon. He's on his way over." Clary said standing up immediately.

"But we need to talk." Mom said sounding a little troubled.

"I can't, I need to change. I'm going to see Champagne Enema tonight." Clary said and I winced at the name. Mon stared.

"What?"

"Yeah, I know, it's the new band name. But Simon and Maureen are taking us out after." Clary promised and I quickly started to put my sword away.

"But its-" Mom said with something close to desperation in her voice before she cut herself off with a strained smile. Then, she started again, gentler this time. "But it's your eighteenth birthday and… everything's going to change now."

"Mom. We've had the talk." Clary said amused and I shuddered.

"And I don't need a _repeat_ of that talk thanks." I said because damn that had been horrifying.

"We need to have a much different and more important talk." Mom said and there was a seriousness in her voice and a warning in her eyes that made me stop.

"And we will, but it can be over breakfast, alright? I love you." Clary said and after a quick kiss, trotted off with her gifts to change. "Thank you for the heirloom!"

"Is there something that I should know?" I asked because although mom was slightly overprotective at times, it wasn't usually like _this_.

"It's… I'll tell you later. Go on, get changed." Mom said and gently pushed me towards the stairs. I hesitated but nodded and gave her a hug.

"Thanks for the sword. Best present ever." I say earnestly and mom smiles.

"I knew you'd like it, now go on."

I didn't need to be told a third time and trotted up to my room.

Clary's room was like the room of an art's student. Bright, colourful, and with a mural painted by her own hand. It was filled and cluttered with all the little bits and pieces that Clary had 'needed' over the years.

My room was… remarkably different. A set of shelves, put up by Luke again and again, held my trophies and pictures. Boxes displaying my various belts from white to second-degree black. I was actually on my third-degree black belt but that one wasn't put up to display since I wore it at _least_ three times a week. I was proud of that belt and that's why I wore it. It'd taken me a good _decade_ to get it after all. My trophy collection wasn't a thing of pride however, it was honestly pitiful for someone who'd competed in a sport for ten years but Krav Maga just didn't have that big of a crowd in the good old US of A. It was growing though and thus more competitions were being organized and my trophy collection would hopefully grow in future.

A jumbled bookcase sat against one wall filled with every textbook I've ever owned as well as some martial arts guides and the knick-knack fiction that I'd collected over the years.

A desk sat against the window, much smaller than Clary's because I didn't try to do massive A-2 drawings on it and a chair with a shaky wheel was pushed up against it.

The only overtly colourful things in my room were an assortment of stuffed toys that lived on my bed and the string of paper lanterns that hung from the walls thanks to blue-tack. They were a present from Clary, sort of like an overly-large charm bracelet, each decorated with a notable event in our lives. I spotted the most recent addition immediately and smiled. A _very_ large lantern smack bang over my bed. It was a brilliant red with streamer-tassels and painted with a large gold 18.

In the next room, Clary squealed and then burst into mine. She promptly threw her arms around me and attempted to crush me to death as I laughed.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She said letting go and nearly bouncing up and down in her excitement. "Best twin ever!"

"You better believe it." I say with a laugh "You know how much those paints cost me?"

"I promise to put them to good use." Clary said drawing a cross over her heart and I shook my head.

"Uh-huh. And thank _you_ for the lantern. My room has never looked so majestic." I say and Clary beamed before she skipped off to finish curling her hair.

By the time both Clary and I were done, Luke had already arrived presents at the ready.

"Hey Luke." Clary said beaming. We weren't allowed to call him Uncle Luke anymore. Apparently, it made him feel old. So naturally, neither Clary nor I called him Uncle Luke.

"Grandpa!" I say with a grin on my face and Luke groans. Hey, it wasn't Uncle Luke.

"You keep calling me that and you won't get no presents from me." He threatened and I immediately held up my hands in surrender.

"I'll be good."

Luke snickered and lifted out a collection of spray paints and presented them to Clary.

"Happy birthday, I see any of that on city walls and I will arrest you." He threatened as Clary beamed over the paints.

"The paint is for Simon's van." Clary informed but then winced "But I'm insisting that they rename the band."

"Oh yes please." Mom said with a groan and I nod.

"Yeah. It's bad. Nothing could be worse." I agree and Luke chuckles but sees something sticking out of Clary's pocket.

"Has your mom talked to you about that?" He asked and Clary looked down and nodded.

"The heirloom, yeah. It's beautiful." Clary said but going by the slightly guilty looks mom was shooting at no one in particular, I had a feeling that there was a whole lot more to this whole thing.

"Look, you girls are eighteen now and-" Luke tried but Clary cut him off confused.

"What is with you guys today? We're turning eighteen, not heading off on some epic journey."

"But you are!" Simon said just straight up walking into the house and no one said anything. We sometimes barged into Simon's house for no other reason than boredom. And whenever Grandma Lewis made her famous chocolate babka which was like a bread-chocolate-cake-thing that was absolutely delicious. "See, we are going to Lombardi's to celebrate after the gig."

"You should come back here after. The city's not that safe right now." Mom tried and it was quite the valiant attempt.

"Ah, thanks mom, but we're all set." Clary said awkwardly and edging away to make a quick escape.

"Wait, do I smell chicken caatchatorri?" Simon asked because it was always one of his favourite things and mom nodded.

"Simon, your gig?" Clary reminded with a smirk.

"You're singing?" Luke asked amused and Simon nodded.

"Yes. Big gig. And by big, I mean not so." Simon said looking immensely proud of himself and everyone at least chuckled.

"Well, before that, you think you got a few minutes to spare so that I can give Lou her present?" Luke asked amused and I nodded.

"Oh yeah. I always got time for presents. Bring it." I say eagerly and Luke chuckles. He then hands me a _very_ large and bulky package and I took it in excitement. The package _squishes_ letting me know that whatever was inside was very, very soft. I stare at the package and judge it's weight and relative size. It was huge. I look to Luke eyes wide. "No."

"Yes." Luke said amused and I rip the bland brown wrapping paper off immediately and then promptly crushed it to my chest in a death squeeze because it was so adorable.

"So cute! Thank you Luke!" I all but squealed and Luke laughed as I inspected the newest addition to my stuffed-toy family. Pure fluffy marshmallow white the cat was a bundle of crouched fluff without legs and with the most adorably satisfied expression.

I was shooed upstairs to house my newest fluff-baby but not before promising mom that we would talk over breakfast tomorrow morning. It was a promise that Clary and I made readily.

Anything to get out that door.

But of course, being teenagers with the glimpse of adulthood, we complained to anyone that would listen. In this case, Simon and Maureen.

"I swear my mom is so overprotective lately." Clary groaned with all the petulant grumpiness that a teenager could muster and I snicker. She elbows me in the ribs and I dramatically fall over causing a round of laughter. We were all seated on the roof of Simon's van although Maureen needed a little hand up. The van itself was a tagged yellow monstrosity that was supposed to bring publicity to the band but was honestly just an eyesore in dire need of a better paint job.

"You know, she reminds me of that scene where Ripley is facing off against the alien queen guarding her eggs." Simon said excitedly fiddling with his guitar going through the last of his pre-gig jitters. He'd already thrown up so at least that was out of the way. Now he was trying to distract himself.

"In this scenario, is my mom Ripley or the alien queen?" Clary asked arching an eyebrow.

"Both." Was Simons immediate answer and I poked _him_ in the ribs.

"You realize that makes no sense right?"

"A mother defending her young!" Simon teased and Clary huffed.

"Defending me from _what?_ I spend all my days in an arts studio, my life can't be more… mundane. Now if it's Lou, then mom is right to be worried." Clary said and I frown.

"Hey!"

"Clary's right on this one." Simon said as if he were an old sage "Dangerous business, police-work."

"I'll be _fine_." I grumble shaking my head "I mean, they'll probably go and make me issue parking fines the first few years anyway."

"Way to take the glamor away from being a cop." Maureen says with a smile and I shrug.

"Eh, Luke's been preparing me. Said that I should know what I'm going to get myself into. And apparently, it's shiploads of paperwork." I say grim. Clary laughs at me and I jostle her a little in retaliation. "So mom has nothing to worry about. I'll be chained to a cubical."

"You know, mom never really talks about what she was like when she was young." Clary said and I shrug.

"Does _any_ parent?" I point out.

"Well, just do what I do and get all the dirt from your relatives." Maureen said amused but both Clary and I shake our heads.

"We would if we could, but we don't have any other relatives." Clary said "And, and my dad died before we were born."

There was always a discomfort about talking about our father because we'd never _known_ him. Luke on the other hand had always been there whenever we needed 'Dad things' but since he wasn't married to mom, it was inappropriate to call him dad. I'd always thought that Luke had known my soldier father before he had passed. He had the whole 'no hooking up with my brother-in-arms' widow' thing going on. I never asked though and neither did Clary. There was just something about the topic of _fathers_ that seemed wrong in our house.

"So you have no one. No uncles, no aunts, no third cousins twice removed?" Maureen asked shocked and Clary shook her head.

"No, just Lou, mom and me." Clary said with a shrug. It was the only life we knew.

"And that's why the Lewis clan has added four chairs to every seder since pre-school." Simon said with a grin "One for Clary, one for Lou, one for Jocelyn and one for Elijah."

"Of course." Clary said with a nod.

"Can't forget Elijah." I say with a smile and Simon nods with pride. Grow up next door neighbours with the loveliest Jewish family you'll ever meet and you find yourself looking for that 'kosher' label on everything you buy from the supermarket. Elijah's cup was always filled during the Seder dinner at the Jewish Passovers and a seat was always placed out for him. The belief was that one day, an unknown guest would arrive, take that empty seat, and herald the coming of the messiah. Pretty cool if you asked me.

"You guys don't think that's at least a little suspicious not knowing anything about your family?" Maureen asked weirded out "Your mom could be hiding some deep dark secret."

Clary and I snorted from the _ridiculousness_ of that statement. It was like saying mom was secretly a spy for the KGB. As if.

"Maureen, it's not possible." Clary laughed.

"No, but think about it-" Maureen insisted and I shook my head.

"Okay conspiracy theorist, cool those engines." I laugh and Maureen huffs.

"Seriously, our mother is _incapable_ of concealing anything from us." Clary dismissed and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, remember all those 'surprise parties' she tried to do?" I put forward and Clary winced.

"Oh yeah, those were bad."

"Real bad." Simon agreed and we all shared a laugh.

"Alright rock-stars, get yourselves ready." I say checking my watch and suddenly Simon looks green. Clary rolls her eyes and we barely save Simon from toppling off the roof of the van. Of course.

The gig itself wasn't all that bad. Tiny crowd, most there because of morbid fascination with the name and because they were friends of either Simon or Maureen.

The music wasn't half bad either, Simon had really improved and Maureen was really hitting the high parts.

The only cringy part was the weird love-line that was going on. I'd call it a triangle but… well, Maureen was crushing on Simon who didn't have a clue since Simon himself was crushing on Clary who _also_ didn't have a clue. I will admit to crushing on Simon for a couple of years through high school but thankfully, it was just a phase and it was well and truly out of my system now. Thank God. That had been an _awkward_ two years. But it was over and after liberal amounts of crying on mom's shoulder, swearing Luke to secrecy and way too many tubs of ice-cream, I was friends with Simon and liked it that way. I counted myself lucky since I was able to get out _and_ maintain a friendship. Most people weren't that lucky. All the high school drama man.

The gig wrapped with thunderous applause and quite a few whistles. A successful night if I might say so myself.

"Thanks for being our roadies." Maureen said smiling as we helped pack up after the show loading everything into the back of Simon's van.

"Yeah, and thank _you_ for being our artist in residence." Simon said with a beaming smile and then promptly stripped off his shirt. If I'd still been crushing on him, I would have stared like Maureen and Clary. As it was, I just loaded another speaker into the van. I'd clawed my way out of _that_ pit and there wasn't any way in all of tarnation that I was going to jump right back in.

"Of course." Clary said quickly and then smiled gathering her wits about herself again "So, you went on stage tonight as Champagne Enema."

"Please don't do it again." I said immediately and everyone laughs.

"What were we thinking, right?" Maureen agreed and Simon grinned.

"But now, we're Rock Solid Panda." He declared and everyone was happy with that choice.

"Yeah we are." Maureen said enthusiastically and not just because she had a crush on Simon. Really, the poor girl had to go on stage with a name like Champagne Enema. Simon owed her at _least_ a date for that.

"Rock Solid Panda, coming right up. I'm feeling inspired." Clary said shaking the can and nearly skipped off to go paint the van.

Clary was done in under half an hour and we all stepped back to admire her work.

"What's that tag?" Simon asked as we all stared at the tag above the 'rock solid panda' logo. It was done in blue and made to look 3D all crystal like. It was almost like a dagger but not quite. I tipped my head to the side and squinted. Looked… disturbingly familiar. Déjà vu.

"Weird, I didn't even mean to do that." Clary said staring at it as well thoroughly creeped out.

"Well… it adds to the look?" I try as Simon goes to put the spray paint away.

"You know they have confirmed cases of people waking up in the morning speaking French? And they've never studied the language before." Maureen said and I had a feeling that her true colors were showing.

"You think that's some kind of language?" Clary asked arching an eyebrow and Maureen shrugged.

"Sanskrit maybe." She said and walked off to try her luck with Simon again.

"Well, either way, looks pretty cool. Brings together all those other names on there." I say and pat Clary's back in an offer of comfort "I for one, like it."

"You're my twin sister. You have to like everything I draw." Clary jokes and I roll my eyes.

"Hey, I told you that your dog painting looked like lumpy chicken nuggets with faces didn't I?" I point out in my own defence.

"I thought that was a compliment!"

"How sister dear, how." I say with a sigh and shake my head.

"Hey Lou! Where'd you put my spare strings?!" Simon called and I sighed.

"Here we go." I grumble and Clary laughs and pats my back.

"Good luck." She teases and I make my way over as Simon throws out everything that I'd loaded into the truck looking for new guitar strings.

"Have you tried your guitar bag?" I asked dryly riffling through the bag even as I talked knowing that he hadn't looked through all the nooks and crannies.

"Yes!" Simon calls and nearly kicks a speaker onto the floor. It was narrowly saved my Maureen and I give her a thumbs-up for the good save.

I lift the guitar from it's place in the case and pull open the little compartment that was where the neck of the guitar would rest. Sure enough, spools of guitar string.

"Found them!" I call and Simon nearly falls out of the van to get at them. He immediately begins to de-string and then re-string his guitar and I shake my head. "Why do you even _do_ that? Don't most people only re-string guitars when one string breaks or something?"

"Yeah, most people, but I am an _artist_." Simon says fully focused on his guitar and I shake my head and leave him to it.

I turn to see Clary facing off against a tall blond guy dressed all in black leather and sporting quite the large black tattoo on his neck and did the older sibling thing.

"Hey! You! Jackass! Get the hell away from my sister!" I call striding over and the guy looks at me mouth working open and closed.

"Jace!" Someone calls in the distance and blondie turns back to look. Then he turned his back and ran into the Pandemonium Club that was just opening it's doors for business. Pandemonium had no line because _technically_ it was an all-ages club. You just had to show ID at the bar. We'd been. Once. For Simon's eighteenth. Our mother hadn't been the least bit happy. She needn't have been so upset. It was an experience I wasn't all that willing to repeat. Loud music, epilepsy-inducing lights, suffocating air, oh and way too many people in too small a space. What's to like? Social butterfly I was not.

"Can you believe that blond dude?" Clary asked in disgust as we walked back over except both Simon and Maureen were staring at us like we were crazy.

"You mean the _imaginary_ dude you two were talking to?" Simon asked weirded out and I blinked.

"You didn't see him? Tall, blond, leather everywhere, giant tattoo on his neck?" I listed and both Simon and Maureen shook their heads. I looked to Clary alarmed.

"You guys seriously don't see him?" Clary asked and again, Simon and Maureen shook their heads.

"No."

"Okay, could you guys seriously stop making me feel crazy?" Clary asked and I shrugged.

"Hey, unless we hallucinated the same thing, you're not crazy. Maybe they just missed him." I try and Simon looks to Maureen confused.

"Yeah…" Simon said slowly like he didn't believe it at all.

"You know what." Clary said suddenly and took off her jacket striding towards the club.

"Where're you going?" Simon asked alarmed only to get Clary's jacket chucked at him.

"To get some answers." Clary said firmly and I spluttered.

"From in _there_?!" I ask because damn it I didn't wanna.

"Yup." Clary said firmly and spun on her heel to keep walking.

"Remember! Your fake ID sucks!" Simon called and I rolled my eyes.

"You don't need an ID to get in idiot." I say even as I chase after my little sister. Honestly, the trouble that this girl got into sometimes…

As it turns out, I really should have just stayed in Simon's van.

 **A/N:**

 **And so it begins!**

 **Leave a review about what you liked? What you didn't like? Constructive criticism always welcomed!**

 **Until next time! (Hopefully there will be a next time…)**


	2. Chapter 2: In case of Aliens, Run

**A/N**

 **The continuation that literally no one asked for. But I'm committed now damn it!**

Chapter 2: In case of Aliens… run.

The music was stupidly loud, the lights were flashing _way_ too much, I was literally brushing shoulders with five other strangers and I was quite sure that there was re-condensed sweat dripping from the ceiling. All in all, not pleasant. Oh. And the floor was sticky like five people had thrown up on it and it'd never been cleaned properly.

"I'm going to fail at getting us some birthday drinks!" Simon called over the music.

"I'm going to go fail with you!" Maureen shouted and dragged Simon off. I took a quick glance around.

"Okay, tall, blond and trouble isn't here. Can we go now?" I ask but Clary shakes her head.

"No look, there." She said and tugs me forward by the wrist. I groan but thankfully Clary doesn't hear me. Of _course_ she spots him.

I spot blondie too. Just before he goes into a back section of the club. Then that bit gets curtained off by some rather scary-looking bodyguards that just _scream_ bad news.

"Okay, look, we're not supposed to go in there. Time to go home." I hiss urgently but nope. Clary had gotten an idea into her head and she wasn't budging now.

"It'll be fine. Plus, worst comes to worst, you can use your Krav Maga on them." Clary said with the full confidence of a person that had only attended _one_ self-defence course in their entire life. That was the problem with people who didn't practice martial arts and martial artist beginners. They thought that what happened on the mats translated directly into real life. Sure, Krav Maga was a more practical martial art than say Judo or Karate in that it still kept quite a lot of its deadly-force roots, but here's the thing. I'd never used it _full out_ on real people before. We 'shamed' hits in the gym and we called the place a gym because it _was_ a gym. Not a dojo like the Japanese arts, not a wu guan like the Chinese arts. A gym because Krav Maga was a relatively young martial art that was a mix of everything and anything. Our teachers were called by name and without titles, our places of training simple gyms. But that wasn't the point. The point was that I, like most martial artists not in the military or law enforcement, had never actually pulled out those moves in a real-life scenario before. Hell, I could count on one hand the number of times I'd _really_ pulled out the moves without shaming blows when I was sparring with another real person. So no. I could _not_ just 'use my Krav Maga' on them. Unfortunately, it didn't _work_ that way. Sure, I'd be better off than Clary in your average street fight but against bodyguards who'd no doubt seen all my crap before? Yeah, I was screwed. They were trained to handle real-life situations. I was most definitely _not_.

"That is _not_ how it works!" I whisper frantically but I'd waited too long and Clary was already latching herself onto a bodyguard and I whimper.

"Somebody works out." Clary compliments and I quickly hold onto the other arm with a strained smile and look up to see bright completely-blue eyes. Creepy.

"Cool contacts." I say lying through my teeth and miracle of miracles, we were ushered through. I drag Clary away from buff-guy immediately. The curtain once again falls behind us and we see inside the little private area.

It wasn't _packed_ with people but there were quite a few there. Mostly men. Big, tall, muscular men. Fuck.

No. I wasn't sexist. Group fights were never pretty. Especially when someone in the group knew what they were doing. We'd done group fights before in the gym and let me tell you, that was just a bundle of pain wrapped in more pain wrapped in an ass-whooping of a lifetime. And big tall muscular men usually knew what they were doing when it came to any kind of fighting. See why I was worried now?

Clary of course inched forwards. Dear lord save me from a sister without self-preservation instincts.

The next few minutes suddenly flashed by.

Blondie suddenly had a glowing light-sabre _knife_ thing in his hand ready to stab the poor girl he was going nose-to-nose with. Clary jumped forwards with a scream, pushed the girl to the couch and I was still stuck on _lightsabre._

Then I promptly got _unstuck_ because the girl's face split into four like something out of an alien movie expanding to show yellow fangs and _oh dear god what the fuck?!_

"Careful!" Someone yelled and Clary was being shoved away by blondie.

"Hey!" I shout in offence for my sister only for alien-face to lunge at us. I freaked out, did the girl thing, and screeched.

Then I ran because _nope_ I was so not getting in the middle of this. Blondie swung his lightsabre and from the corner of my eye, face-girl turned into a splatter of _goop_. Then the girl that had been dancing some sort of dance up on the tiny stage was choking someone and kicking another someone at the same time a whip from god knows where in hand.

I pulled Clary up because _nope nope nope_.

"We're leaving!" I shout voice probably too high to be pleasant but damn it there were face-splitting aliens here and dear god I did not want to deal with this crap. It was fucking terrifying.

"What?!" Clary demanded and I choked as she stared at the fight.

"Sister mine, we are NOT STAYING!" I shriek because who the fuck wanted to stay in the middle of a fight with aliens?

Blondie looked over but that distraction cost him because suddenly he was being bowled over by two more men and his glowing lightsabre was knocked out of his hand and landed on the couch where the light promptly vanished along with the blade and it was just a handle. Yeah. Lightsabre. What the hell were these people? Jedi?

Clary of course picked up the lightsabre and I groaned. The blade promptly popped back out. I made a grab for it to throw it away because really? Touching weird lightsabres was just _asking_ for trouble. But I didn't exactly get there because suddenly a body was being shoved onto the blade and Clary gave a little gasp-scream as the thing on the blade vaporized. I'd say it was a man but no human should be able to split their face into four pieces like that.

Blondie made a grab for the blade but before he could get there, an arm was thrown around his throat and he was just about dogpiled.

"Okay, now we _really_ got to go!" I say as Clary stares.

"But-" She splutters and I groan and tug the lightsabre from her grasp.

"Alec!" Blondie shouts and suddenly a dark-haired guy was throwing blondie _his_ lightsabre. Okay. Change of plans then.

"Hey! You!" I shout "Alec!"

The guy looks up more out of shock than desire and I ditch the lightsabre at his face.

Then I grab Clary by the wrist so she'll actually follow, and then ran for it.

In my hast, I almost bowl over some glittery guy on my way out and briefly turn to apologize.

"Sorry!" I shout having a half-glance at his face before I was off again dragging a thoroughly freaked out Clary behind me.

It wasn't until three steps later that I stumbled. Suddenly, like one of those embarrassing memories that ambushed you at the worst possible second, a shaky image popped into mind. A handsome Asian face decorated with eyeliner, dark shadow and way too much glitter. Cat eyes that were those yellow-green that all cats seemed to have and a ringed hand in which nestled a small cloud of blue.

"Lou?" Clary squeaked and I quickly recovered from my little half-tumble and carry on shaking my head.

We all but sprint outside, dive into the first cab that we saw and collapse.

"Drive!" Clary beg even as I spit out our address after a minute of frantic mental groping for it.

The ride home was silent but filled with barely contained panic. I threw cash at the cabbie when we arrived but Clary was already sprinting up the stairs.

"Mom!" She shrieked and I staggered after her.

What the _fuck_ had just happened? Hell if I knew. Thankfully though, Clary was more than happy to rant at what she saw to mom.

"And then these tentacles just came out of the body-builder's _face!_ " She said pacing and her hands waving through the air "And then the guy just… _vaporized_. I mean, we were drugged, right?"

"What did the markings look like? On the blond boy you were talking about?" Mom asked soft and serious but much too calm.

"Who cares?!" Clary demanded frantic "Okay, mom, are you even listening to me?! I think I killed a guy!"

"Clary!" Mom rebuked and suddenly took out _another_ stele from her pocket and swiped it like a wand down her arm "Do they look like this?"

"What the fuck?!" I splutter as I saw the tattoo bloom into life with shimmering muted gold and Clary did her best imitation of a goldfish.

"Language Louella!" Mom said and I splutter.

"Is this really the time?!" I demand and mom actually nods.

"You're right. Clary, Lou, everything you two saw tonight, has a meaning, and an explanation and I've dreaded having this conversation with you girls since the day you were born." Mom said and Clary was frantically shaking her head as if she could shake reality back to how it was supposed to be. Normal. Without weird face-splitting aliens and lightsabres and… whatever the hell else.

"What is going on?" I ask because damn it what the fuck?

"The protections are wearing off, you're both eighteen now and you need to know the truth." Mom said urgently and Clary frowned.

"Protections, what protections!" She demanded and I took my sister by the hand winding my fingers through hers.

"Not the issue right now. What's the truth?" I ask because we could figure out what we were being protected _from_ first before anything else. That way, at least I knew which direction I was supposed to be running in.

"Everything tha-" Mom said but before she could get much further, Dot burst up the stairs.

"Jocelyn! Look out the window." Dot said. She looked frantic, she looked scared. But she looked like she knew what to do. At least someone does. "Magnus called to warn us. They found you."

Mom was immediately bolting to the window before I could even ask who _they_ were and going by how pale she was when she turned back, 'they' were bad news.

"Dot! It's time!" Mom called and suddenly she was all business. "Girls! Listen to me, you two can _not_ be near me."

"What's happening?!" Clary demanded instinctively getting out of the way as Mom bustled about.

"I got a very powerful person angry." Mom said picking up something from her bookshelf and I looked to Clary concerned.

"What did you do?!" Clary wailed.

"I hid something from him." Mom said brisk and sure. "And his followers."

"His followers?!" Clary yelped "Why can't we call the police?!"

"The policeman you need to call is Luke." Mom said as she swung Clary around to attach a necklace to her throat. "Louella, get Wallace."

It was said in that 'mom tone' that you didn't argue with and so I scrambled for my sword despite it being _ridiculous_ to do so. We were in the twenty first century. It wasn't like swinging a sword down the street willy-nilly was socially acceptable behaviour in this part of the world.

"What the hell is happening?!" Clary demanded but Dot cut her off by thrusting a bottle of _green stuff_ at mom.

"Only if you need it." Dot said and Clary spluttered.

"Trust your instincts." Mom said to the both of us firmly as I clutched Wallace tight to my chest. "You're both much more powerful than you know."

"Mom, I don't understand!" Clary said in distress. There was a fervent energy in the air. A need to get things _done_. We were out of time. The only thing was, I hadn't been aware that there was a countdown going on.

"Dot! Open it!" Mom said and suddenly Dot's hand _glowed_ a powder blue. The screen doors splitting the kitchen and the dining room opened on their own but what they opened to wasn't a kitchen at all, but a swirl of purple. It reflected light almost like pool water with teeny-tiny waves that moved along the surface.

Mom promptly shoved us in front of the purple hands grasping ours tightly.

"Everything I've done, every mistake I've made was because I love you girls more than words." Mom said earnestly and Clary and I spluttered.

"Mom, please! Just tell us what's going on!" I beg because surely she could give us that?

"Luke will explain everything. He'll hide you." Mom promised.

"Hide me?!" Clary demanded and Mom nodded.

"From the Circle. He's the only one you can trust. Trust no one else." Mom said firmly and Clary shook her head but mom shook _us_. "Where's Luke now?!"

"At the police station!" Clary said freaked out and suddenly Mom was shoving us backwards into the purple.

"Mom!" I yelp pitching backwards like I was being dragged by an overly large vacuum.

"Look after your sister!" Mom calls "Remember! I love you both!"

Then suddenly I was flying backwards with Clary. It was a sensation of freefall and I freaked but that sensation was gone as sudden as it came and my back hit something decidedly solid.

Clary gave a yelp of pain and all the air huffed out of my lungs causing me to gasp.

"You good?" I ask quickly with a groan and Clary whimpers.

"No." She said and I took the point.

"Clary? Lou?" Asked a voice and we look over. Captain Vargas. We were at the police station. In the foyer at least. I recognized the notice board, the glass doors, the posters and the way out of date wall-phones that no one used anymore.

I was also sitting in the middle of a police station with a _sword_ in my hand.

"Captain Vargas." Clary said scrambling to her feet and I stood also praying that the sword could stay hidden behind my back.

"It's two in the morning, what are you two doing here so late?" Captain Vargas asked and Clary and I looked to each other imitating goldfish.

"Uh… I… Luke, Luke said he'd drive us home if he was still here." Clary said and it wasn't half bad of an excuse.

"Still don't trust the cabbies huh?" Captain Vargas asked fondly. I shrugged.

"Think he'll ever?" I ask and the captain laughs. She was a pretty woman. Hair pulled back and makeup done in a no-nonsense style. Her clothes were always clean and put-together. A role model of mine.

"God no. Well, he's in the middle of an interview right now, could take a while." She said and Clary and I nod and we make to scamper off.

"Cool. We'll just…" Clary said looking around and I blurted out the first place in mind.

"Wait in the cafeteria." I said and then nod like I'd meant to say that.

We scamper off and I did the awkward crab-walk to make sure Captain Vargas didn't see the _sword_ in my hand. We nearly round the corner too before Captain Vargas called out.

"Hey." She said and for a moment my heart stopped because I thought that she'd seen the sword "Is there… some sort of problem? Guy trouble?"

Oh thank god.

"Oh, uh… yeah. It's uh… it's something like that." Clary said and suddenly my sword clatters to the ground. Right in front of Captain Vargas. Clary and I stare at it in horror. I'd accidentally lost my grip in my relief that we weren't about to get called out about the sword and _dropped the damned thing_.

"I can explain." I said quickly and awkwardly but Captain Vargas shook her head smiling and I stare.

"No need to talk to me. It's Luke you want to talk to right?" She asks and turns to walk away "Don't stay too late!"

Clary and I stare after her before sharing a look.

"No way. Right?" I whisper and Clary just shrugs. I scoop up Wallace the sword because I didn't want to push my luck and we go looking for Luke.

It didn't take us that long to find him. Mainly, because it wasn't our first trip around this joint.

But finding Luke, turned out to be more bad news.

Luke worked from a desk in the bull pen. There was a set of old cement stairs that led down to the bullpen and Clary and I were just clattering down it when we heard voices. I grabbed Clary and slid down the wall a finger to my lips.

"The moment we found out Jocelyn Fairchild was alive, you were easy to track." A man's voice said and Clary frowned.

"Fairchild?" She whispered and I shrugged but once again put a finger to my lips. We could ask questions later. When people _weren't_ out to get us to do god knew what.

"Turns out, you and Jocelyn were never that far apart." The man said and Clary peeked over the stairs and I wanted to smack my idiot sister. I peeked too but dragged Clary down again so that we wouldn't be seen. I had time to see a man in a suit and a woman in a bright red dress before we were once again hidden behind concrete.

"The Circle has her now. It's just a matter of time until we catch the girls. You can have them all if you give up the Mortal Cup." I held my breath at that because they were _bargaining_ and with our lives at that. That meant that the 'mortal cup' thing was valuable. Real valuable.

"I don't care about either of them. They mean nothing to me." Luke said as calm as could be and it was like a harsh kick to the gut. I told myself that he could be bluffing. He could be refusing to play their game. I didn't believe myself either. "Kill them both if you like. My people want the Cup. Why do you think I've been hanging around here all these years? Now, when I find the cup, I'm gonna keep it. And you can tell Valentine and the Circle that."

"No one mentioned Valentine." The man said once again and Clary was breathing a little heavily. I grasped her hand tightly in mine pressing Wallace against my chest with the other.

"You didn't have to." Luke said dryly.

"Listen to me!" The man said suddenly furious and there was the sound of a _smack_ , then it was Luke talking again.

"No, you listen to me. Get out of my office." Luke snarled. I grabbed Clary by the hand and stooping low, legged it.

"What are you doing?!" Clary spluttered as I legged it out of the police station at full speed.

"Getting out of there." I snap and then look around. It had started raining, when had it started raining this badly?

"Mom! We've got to get mom!" Clary wailed and I stared at her.

"You want to go right back to the place that we were just _teleported_ out of?! Seriously?!" I demand and Clary glares at me all righteous fury.

"You have any better ideas?! She's our mom Lou!" Clary says as if I was willing just to leave our mother to _die_. I wasn't. But it was a god damn hostage situation here and the _last_ thing you wanted to do was give the hostage taker more hostages.

"We don't know who's after mom, we don't even know where she _is_. You want to go back to the _one_ place where we know that people are out to get us?!" I demand because that was _insane_.

"Well you got any better ideas?! Because News Flash, nothing makes sense anymore!" Clary screamed and I opened my mouth and then shut it again. Where _else_ would we go exactly? Simon's? Right. And drag him into this fucking mess. Who else? We'd tried Luke who was probably just using us and since he was a _cop_ we couldn't exactly go to the police. Plus, what policeman would believe our crazy story? At least back home I could assume that anyone present was out to get us.

"Fine. But you stay behind me yeah? And when I say we run, we run like hell." I say and Clary nods, so we go.

Clary's promise lasted until we got in through the front door where she saw the trashed antique shop. Then she ran forwards and started screaming.

"Mom! Mom!" She wailed and I had to drag her back and slam a hand over her mouth.

"Shut it! You want the whole neighbourhood to know we're home?" I hiss but Clary just screams in my hand and suddenly falls to the floor. I go down with her and Clary cries ugly heaving sobs and suddenly I couldn't be mad. Clary was scared, scared shitless and I was too but _someone_ had to keep it together.

"It's okay, we got this. We got this." I promise even though we so _don't_ got this. "I'm here, yeah? We'll be just fine. Just watch baby sister."

Yeah, I was lying through my teeth because my hands were shaking and I think I was crying and I had no fucking clue what the hell we were going to do next.

Thunder roared and Clary jumped. So did I but I gripped Wallace tighter and pulled Clary to her feet. Wallace made me feel better. It was a _sword_. Have a sword in your hand would make anything feel better I imagine. I gripped Wallace until my hand shook and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Okay. We're going to stand up, then we're going to go upstairs." I decide and shakily, Clary stands with me. I draw Wallace and point the blade towards the stairs. Did I know how to use a sword? Fuck no. But it made me feel better. Also it was a weapon. Weapons were good. "You good baby sister?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Clary said sniffling back the last of her tears and I nod. Right. We could so do this. Not.

We went up the steps like how you would go up the stairs in a horror movie. Reluctantly. Also, I was cursing my own decision because everyone knew not to go up the stairs in horror movies. It meant that you had to _run down_ a flight of stairs when something inevitably went horrifically wrong. Also never barricade yourself in the bathroom. That was just bad. No escape routes in the bathroom. I knew that, and here was my dumb white ginger ass going up the stairs when I should be running screaming out the front door. I am so fucking stupid.

Things were creepy by moonlight let me tell you that. Everything looked like it was out to get you. I'd taken a couple of swings at shadows because of it too.

"Dot!" Clary gasped spinning around and I spun too to see Dot standing in the kitchen. Clary rushed forwards before I could stop her and I ran too because _thank god_ someone we know.

"They took Jocelyn." Dot said softly and Clary frowned in confusion and stops in her tracks.

"Who took her?" She asked and I drew up beside Clary.

"Rogue Shadowhunters searching for the mortal cup." Dot said like we should know what the hell that even meant.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clary demanded and I frowned pulling Clary back. Something was weird.

"Think. Did your mother every talk to you about a cup? A very important cup." Dot insisted "It's gold, almost like a chalice."

"No! No I don't know anything about a cup Dot!" Clary said freaking out and backing away but Dot just chased us.

"One of the antiques downstairs? They come in all the time." I say backing away with Clary because something was _off_ and this was _not_ good.

"No, no, not those." Dot said immediately "Think! This could save Jocelyn!"

"I can't think! Someone kidnapped my mother!" Clary screamed right in Dot's face.

"You know more than you think Fray!" Dot suddenly roared and then her _face_ split into four complete with fangs. I shoved Clary back with a scream swiping Wallace through the air.

It clipped one of the mouth-part things that had Dot reeling back and screeching. I staggered back as Dot fell to the floor and started to… writhe.

Her hands turned black then almost white and her face scaled and both Clary and I shrieked in disgust as some… thing replaced where Dot once stood. A rather hysterical part of my brain noted how much it looked like one of those Game of Thrones white walkers. It even had those sharp nubs on its head.

The thing recovered frighteningly fast and I hit Clary with the sheath in my hand.

"RUN!" I shout and we run but not fast enough because something collides with my back and I drop the sword because falling with sharp blades was all _kinds_ of bad.

I fall onto Clary and then roll like I'd done a thousand times before in a gym but I forgot that I _wasn't_ in a gym and manage to smash almost face-first into a table-leg. Clary was screaming and scrambling and I kick out at the thing as it made a mouth-grab for Clary.

"HEY UGLY!" I shout and grabbing the table leg, I threw it towards the… whatever the hell it was and scramble for the sword.

Clary was screaming and scrambling on the floor trying to back up and the table had been destroyed by a swat of the hand and oh god we were so utterly fucked.

"LOU!" Clary screams and I frantically scramble away on my hands and knees sword in hand as the alien-thing makes another swipe at me. I scream because oh dear god it got my ankle and it _hurts_.

I kick out with my other foot and out of more luck than skill, I hit it in the face causing it to fall back. Leg freed, I scramble to my feet and over to Clary hauling her up. My ankle was _throbbing_ but I'd twisted my ankle worse before. Hopefully, the fangs didn't do too much damage. Adrenaline dulled pain.

"Behind you!" Clary screamed and I turn sword thrusting into the creature simply because of how close it was and not out of any real skill. Even as the blade slid in and I stared at it in horror, another blade slid _out_ from its back. A glowing lightsabre.

I stared.

The monster roared.

Clary screamed.

Then the alien vaporized and I was left standing there gaping and shaking sword in the air.

Blondie was standing there too and gaping too. He had the lightsabre.

He stared at me. Clary whimpered.

"What, no 'thank you' for saving your lives?" Blondie asked and I choked.

"What the fuck?" I ask because WHAT THE FUCK?!

"W-What was that?" Clary whimpered and I stagger dropping the sword because my arm suddenly felt like lead. Oh, and I think my ankle was on fire. I stagger and there was suddenly hands holding me upright.

"Careful, I think that demon got a piece of ya." Blondie said and the world started spinning. Not good.

"Demons." I heard Clary gasp.

"Yeah. What do you think that miserable disgusting thing was?" Blondie asked easily like he did this all day everyday. For all I knew, he might.

"I thought… Dot…" Clary mumbled and I shook my head trying to focus. Nope, world still spinning.

"No, Ravener demon, shapeshifter." Blondie said and I groan.

"That makes no sense. And the room's spinning." I say and I swore that I sounded drunk.

"Demon venom." Blondie said and he didn't sound too worried.

"Oh. Wallace." I said and make a weak grasp at the floor.

"I got it." Clary promises and that's the last thing I hear before my brain full-on gives up and I black out.


	3. Chapter 3: What Kind of Bullshit is This

**A/N: GUYS PAIRINGS! HELP!**

 **Okay, so with what I've written so far, it could literally go with** _ **any**_ **and I mean** _ **any**_ **pairing. And I'm conflicted. So… vote in the review section? Please? HELP MEEEEEE.**

Chapter 3: What Kind of Magical Bullshit is This?

I woke to bright lights, muffled voices and a killer headache.

A blink later and the bright lights became a checker ceiling that I most definitely didn't recognize and nearly head-butt my sister in the nose with I jerk up.

"Lou!" Clary said with great relief and threw her arms around my neck. I'm looking around and I'm in some sort of infirmary going by all the crisp white beds. That answered _part_ of the 'where' question but certainly not enough.

"Clary? Where am I? What's going on?" I ask because what the fuck just happened? No. Really. The fuck?

"Lou, Lou, it's okay. We're in the New York Institute." Clary said and I stare at her.

"I have no fucking clue what that means." I said and suddenly three people walk in through the door.

"It means that you shouldn't be here." The black haired one, Alec from what I remember said. He was the guy I chucked the lightsabre at. Then there was a girl and Blondie.

"Lay off Alec." The girl said with a sigh and then smiled at me.

"Hi, you must be Lou. I'm Isabella but you can call me Izzy. Grumpy over there's my brother Alec Lightwood and he's Jace Wayland." Isabella 'call me Izzy' said and I stared then nodded.

"Hi." I say awkwardly and look at Clary eyes screaming for help.

"We're safe Lou. They're Shadowhunters." Clary said with a smile and I stare.

"Right. Totally safe. What the hell are Shadowhunters." I say looking between the three strangers. The blanket falls away and I stare down in horror at the black shirt I had on. A black shirt that I was most definitely _not_ wearing before. I'd been wearing a green tank-top covered by a camouflage jacket. Not… this. "And where the hell are my clothes?!"

"Demon venom. Hell on fabrics." Izzy said with a sympathetic coo and hands over a bundle of black. "You can borrow these."

I look at the bundle in my hands and hold up a miniskirt. It was black. And leather. I open my mouth to refuse then realize that I've got no other clothes. I look around and Clary was snickering. I throw the skirt in Clary's face.

"Great. Thanks." I say strained "I still don't understand what's going on."

"Oh not again." Alec says and glares at me and I frown.

"What do you mean again?" I demand and Clary sheepishly raises a hand.

"I kind of asked a hundred and two questions just now." She admitted and somehow, I wasn't surprised.

"Okay. But could somebody _please_ explain what's going on? Why'd Dot suddenly turn into some Game of Thrones reject white walker? What the hell is it with those lightsabres and what happened to mom?" I ask and was met with varying looks of confusion. I blamed Simon for rubbing off on me.

"Okay, so that wasn't Dot, that was a demon, a shapeshifting demon. And things like vampires and werewolves and fairies all exist." Clary said and I stared. Then I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to get rid of the mounting headache through sheer willpower. It didn't work.

"Right. Okay. Supernatural crap exists. Fine." I say through gritted teeth because fuck this it was ridiculous.

"Yeah, and Shadowhunters are the ones that protect the humans and hunts the demons." Clary said eager to impart her knowledge and I nod. If I pretended that this was all just one big delusion, I could even go with it. Demons. Sure. What kind of fucking acid trip am I on?

"Right. So. Good guys?" I ask and Clary nods.

"Good guys." She promises and I flop back onto the bed and run a hand down my face.

"Right. Okay. I can deal with that. Any more surprises?" I ask and Clary shifts. I stare. "Please say no."

"Well… look at your arm." Clary said looking rather guilty and I frantically roll up my sleeves. My left arm was fine. My right had a massive tattoo down the length of my forearm.

"What the hell?! You let them tattoo me?! Not cool man!" I splutter rubbing at it frantically but it wasn't coming off.

"Then I guess next time, I'll just let you die from demon venom then." Jace said with a roll of his eyes and I turn to stare at him. He pointed at my arm. "I drew that. And that's not a tattoo."

"It's a rune." Clary said excitement clear in her voice. Glad that _someone_ was getting joy out of this. "They're like magic spells. That's a healing rune."

I stare at the tattoo, sorry, _rune_ and then look to Jace.

"It comes off right?" I ask a tad frantic because damn it that is not the kind of tattoo I wanted. There were eye-rolls.

"Eventually." Izzy said and at least there was that.

"Right. Okay. Magical symbols, supernatural bullshit and demons." I listed and then nodded. "Okay. I got this."

I so _don't_ got this.

Clary took my hand in comfort and smiled at me.

"They're going to help us find mom. Jace said so." Clary said and that was a whole lot of trust for a stranger but really, at this point, what else was there?

"Okay." I said weakly "Can I get dressed now? I feel the need to be wearing pants for further conversation."

Alec made a noise of exasperation from his throat and then stalked out of the room. He obviously didn't like me. Was I broken up about it? Nope. Jace left too, along with Clary who was a little star struck already and I shook my head. Izzy was kind enough to show me how the outfit was supposed to go on and laughed at my miserable expression.

Then just as I was zipping up the top, Clary burst back in waving her phone around like it'd won her the lottery.

"It's Simon! He's outside!" Clary said bright an enthusiastic and I was suddenly alarmed.

"What? No, we can't involve him in this crap!" I yelp and Clary rolls her eyes utterly confident in our best friend's ability to kick demon ass.

"It's Simon." She said and I stared.

"Yeah. Geeky, rambling, can't-throw-a-punch Simon." I say slowly and Clary just tisks and grabs my hand eager to see her friend.

"Come on!" She said and I follow.

"I saw something, behind your friend." Jace said trotting after us lightsabre in hand.

"You're not going to kill Simon are you?" Clary asked exasperated but not afraid. Clary had given me Wallace back so at least there was that.

"Protect the humans, kill the demons. You'll get it eventually." Jace said and I shook my head.

"You said you saw someone behind Simon? Is it bad? Is he in trouble?" I ask and Jace looks at me.

"Not if I'm there." He says and then opens the door for us.

"So, why can't Simon see you?" Clary asked and I look to Simon and then rush forward.

"Simon!" I say and he opens his arms for a hug.

"Lou, thank god, what the hell is going on?! And what are you wearing?!" He yelped and the immediately hands me his own jacket. I took it with a sigh of relief.

"Thanks. And it's been a crazy… how long was it?" I ask as Clary and Jace take their own sweet time to wonder over.

"Two days! And what… is Clary doing?" Simon said and I splutter because _two days_?

"Two days?" I whisper because… that did not seem like two days what the hell. Was I out for two whole days?

"Clary and Louella Fairchild!" A man suddenly said and I spun around gripping Wallace. He had his own lightsabre and I was about to draw Wallace but Jace got there before me hooking an arm around the guy's throat and taking them both to the ground. Clary spluttered and gasped. Simon who apparently couldn't _see_ the fight stared at Clary.

"Clary, what's going on, what are you looking at?!" Simon demanded and I quickly thrust Wallace under Simon's nose.

"That! Can you see that?!" I demand and Simon nearly brains himself on Wallace squinting.

"See what?!"

"You really can't see it." I said in shock as I look at Wallace in my hand "You don't see what I'm holding?"

"No! Lou! You and Clary are acting like you're high! What's going on?!" Simon demands and I shake my head and look back to the fight.

With a grunt and a jerk the fight was suddenly over and I choked as the man hit the floor.

"Jace!" Clary yelped and rushed forwards. "Is he dead?!"

"Is who dead?! Clary!" Simon shouted exasperated and suddenly the body on the ground shimmered and Simon to yelp in alarm. I gag and nearly puke because oh god, yeah, that was a… holy shit.

"What the…" Simon whispered and I grasp his arm.

"You see that right?" I ask shakily and Simon nods.

"Yeah, yeah I see that." He says and I hold out the sword and Simon stares at it "Yeah, okay, I see that sword too. What the hell is happening?!"

"Could you de-glamourize or whatever so my best friend _doesn't_ think I'm losing my mind?" Clary demanded apparently not all that bothered by the _dead body_ on the ground. Well. She sure had a stronger stomach than me because I was eyeing the closest bush.

"Um… what is happening?" Simon whimpered and I looked at Jace. Ah, he was visible now. Right.

"Yeah, we don't have the luxury right now, kid. Everyone back inside." Jace commanded striding for the doors and I look up at the building that I'd been unconscious in for the past two days. It was a church. A large one. Huh.

Then I saw the fucking corpse on the ground and suddenly I was hunched over on my hands and knees heaving.

At least I'd hit the bushes.

"Oh god, Lou!" Simon said and he was suddenly there pulling back my hair and rubbing my back.

"Lou!" Clary yelped and was there also and I quickly wiped my mouth. I still wanted to throw up but since I hadn't eaten anything for god knows how long, the most I spit up was stomach acid.

"Seriously?" Jace asked and I ignored him. Simon helped me stand and I shakily leaned against the offered arm.

"Thanks. I'm good." I say and did my best not to look at that particular spot of floor least I stat dry heaving again. Once was enough.

"I've seen him before. At the police station." Clary said looking behind her and I didn't look back. Jace did.

"He's a member of the Circle. He's here for you two."

"He's with the people that took my mother." Clary said frantic but I pushed her along and into the church. Outside was bad.

"Right, your little best friend here led him right to you." Jace pointed out not at all impressed with Simon. "He's here to capture or kill you."

"There's a dead body there!" Simon spluttered "We have to call Luke."

"We can't trust Luke, Simon!" Clary snapped the hurt still raw and Simon stared.

"He… it's…" I said trying to explain the whole Luke situation and then shook my head "He was just around because he thought mom had something he wanted."

"What?" Simon asked shocked and disbelieving. I could see why. Luke had been the nicest of guys, almost a father figure. I shook my head.

"Clary, I need to keep you safe. I promise you, I promise you I am gonna help you find your mother, but you're one of us. You're a Shadowhunter." Jace was saying to Clary who was staring at him and I could practically see the sparks flying. Simon saw it too.

"What are you talking about?" Simon demanded striding forwards and I sighed. Ohhh boy. "Clary, you don't know this guy all right? Come with me. I can get us help."

"Clary, please." Jace said holding out a hand and Simon did the same.

"Clary, come on." He begged and Clary looked to me torn. I sighed and raked a hand through my hair.

What do you do when both choices were equally bad?

Clary looks to me for direction except I was all out of direction. What was the lesser evil in this case exactly?

Clary takes a breath and makes her choice. She takes Simon's hand but her words are apologetic.

"Simon, I think Jace can help us." She says and I question the wisdom of that choice but I say nothing. I was just thankful that I didn't have to make that choice.

"What?" Simon demands shocked and hurt. Jace starts to head back into the abandoned church. Clary takes Simon by the hand and drags him along. I quickly trot after them as Simon splutters.

Inside the church Simon stares as Jace sighs and rolls up a sleeve.

"Simon, trust me." Clary whispers and I watch in fascination along with Simon as Jace takes out a crystal-pen and begins to draw over his skin. The crystal tip of the pen-thing leaves a trail glowing gold that fade to burn-red. Stele. It was a stele. Apparently, not a paperweight.

"Dude, he's like burning himself." Simon whimpers and I had to wince at that imagery. Thank _god_ I'd been unconscious then. That didn't seem like a very pleasant sensation. Then abruptly Jace takes Simon's hand and pat Simon's arm as he struggles in alarm.

"Buddy, I'm not your type, man, I don't even-" Simon rambled but then stopped.

"What are you seeing?" I ask because the hallway doesn't look all that different to me. Same sleek hallway that led into a bright room filled with people and screens.

"Where are we? What the hell?" Simon whispers and I pat his shoulder in sympathy.

"Trust me. I had it worse." I say because it was one thing to see this, try waking up in it. Simon however, wasn't computing.

"Is… is there a war going on that I don't know about?" Simon whimpers and Jace smirks.

"There is now." He says and starts to walk down the hall.

"I think my mother's at the centre of it." Clary says and Simon is still standing there dumb struck. I grab him by the arm.

"You'll deal." I say and we chase after Jace down the hall and to the room filled with light and screens and people milling about. More Shadowhunters? How many even were there?

"What is this place?" Simon asked as he stared around "There's a lot of gear in here. What'd they do? Rob a tech shop?"

"Hell if I know." I say and let go of Simon's arm so he could properly flail as he freaked.

"So this cold-blooded killer is gonna help us?" Simon demands and I shudder at the reminder that there was a _corpse_ rotting outside. Well not rotting, yet. Oh god I was going to puke again.

"He's not a killer. He's protecting us." Clary said exasperated and I could really beg to differ. That guy outside had _definitely_ been human. I swallow thickly and start hysterically screaming at myself in the safety of my own mind. What the fuck had I agreed to? Sure, I never _explicitly_ agreed to anything but still. Fuck.

"Specifically, you." Jace dismissed looking at Clary and then shooting a smirk at Simon "It's sort of our _thing_."

Great. Male chest beating.

"Your thing?" Simon demanded "You guys have a _thing_?"

"He means a Shadowhunter thing." Clary said and I knew that cleared up none of it.

"Shadowhunter, protectors of human kind from demons. Apparently. I'm a little fuzzy on the details." I say in sympathy for Simon who didn't look like he was buying it. If I hadn't seen the face-splitting aliens then I wouldn't have bought it either so I didn't blame him at all.

"Demons. Right. That makes perfect sense, 'cause there are demons running all around New York!" Simon ranted and Jace smirked.

"That's the first correct thing you've said all day." He said fiddling with the screens until something beeped.

A video feed of the front of the church popped up. It was two policemen knocking on the door.

"NYPD!" They said through the speakers and their sharp rap was muffled by bad sound tech.

"Won't they find us?" Clary asked and personally, I was more concerned about the _body_ on the front steps.

"No, our wards will deter them." Jace said fully confident as the policemen rapped the door again "And the NYPD will do their typical Mundie thing for a few hours and then the area will be clear."

"What's going on?" Alec asked suddenly walking up looking ready to commit murder with his eyes alone. "Why is there a mundane in the Institute?"

"A Circle member followed him to get to Clary and Lou." Jace said with a sigh and Clary nods. I was still stuck on the whole _murder_ thing.

"A circle rune, just like the guys that took my mother." Clary said confidently and how the hell did she remember this stuff? All I remembered was panic, fear, more panic and my own stupidity.

"What exactly is a Circle member, and why are they trying to kill us?" Simon squeaked and I almost outright applauded him for that.

"All we know is, a long time ago, the Circle led a revolt. A lot of Shadowhunters got killed. Including my father." Jace said and Clary was already shooting Jace the goo-goo eyes because of that sob story.

"And since the revolt, we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle." Alec tacked on and I frowned sharing a look with Simon. Well, that's stupid.

"How is that even possible? It's your history." Clary said aghust and Jace scoffs.

"Says the girl who doesn't even know she was a Shadowhunter?" He asks and Clary splutters. All sympathy gone.

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Clary snaps "And now, the only person who knows the truth is mission, so I don't _care_ about your rules or what's forbidden I'm… there's got to be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken our mother."

"There is." Jace says and starts walking without looking back. "You coming?"

Clary and I scramble with Simon to catch up and Jace turns back to see Simon and points at him.

"No, not you."

"Hey. We're a package deal." Clary said fiercely and Simon enthusiastically agrees.

"Yeah."

"There are runes, all over the training room floor, that could _kill_ your Mundie boyfriend." Jace said dryly and Clary rolls her eyes.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend." Clary says with exasperation and I pat Simon sympathetically on the back for that burn.

"We're… just friends." Simon says awkwardly but Clary looks back and smiles.

" _Best_ friends." She says and from the way they looked at each other, you'd really think that they were dating. I was still betting that they would go on at least _one_ date. It was just too sad otherwise.

"Yeah." Simon says smiling "And I'm tough, I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes! What even are runes?"

It would have been more impressive if Simon hadn't smacked Jace in the shoulder and then had to shake off the pain. Jace scoffed.

"They give Shadowhunters demon fighting powers." Izzy suddenly said striding into the room and damn these people needed to wear more than just black. Izzy drew her own stele down an arm and Simon was transfixed.

"So hot." Simon whispers and Jace clears his throat and Simon flushes "The rune!"

Izzy laughs and I shake my head. Poor guy.

"Don't worry, I'll watch over the best friend. In fact, I was about to make breakfast." Izzy said with an inviting smile and suddenly, there were looks of fear from Alec and Jace.

"On second thought, the runes might be less lethal." Jace mutters and I wince. That bad huh? Izzy pretends that she isn't bothered and smiles.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Please excuse my brother's lack of manners. This is Alec, and I'm Isabell." She says holding out a hand and Simon immediately goes to kiss it bright red in the face.

"Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis." Then he realized his mistake and I nearly punch myself in the face trying to keep from laughing. "Two first names. Am I still talking?"

"Just play it cool." I advise smirking as Izzy laughs.

"See, best friend safe and sound here." Jace says impatiently.

"Look, he's like a brother to us, so if _anything_ happens to him-" I say vehemently ready to threaten them with all manner of tortures but then Simon himself cuts me off.

"Go on, I'll be fine. I think." Simon says still totally smitten and I really doubted that. Clary however, takes his word for it.

"Where are we going?" She asks and Jace mentions to a little stage-like area.

"Training room." He says but then ducks back to whisper to Simon. "Hey, uh, don't eat the food. Dangerous."

I really didn't want to know.

We mount the steps and there are two people there. One with blade-like knuckle duster things on his hands and another woman with a staff.

"Who's that guy?" Clary asked as the blades slice through the staff like it was butter and the woman stands there for a moment shocked before she bends, picks up the pieces of her staff, and then quickly leaves as the man gives her a little half-nod.

"That's Hodge Starkweather. Our weapons trainer." Jace said giving a nod to Hodge "And more important for us, a former Circle member. After the uprising, Hodge repented and he was sent to live and work here to make amends. But he's forbidden from ever leaving the institute."

"Kinda harsh isn't it?" I whisper and Jace shrugs.

"He's family." Jace says like it's enough and I do have to wonder. Is it?

Hodge throws on his shirt and turns. Then he stops and stares as if he had seen a ghost and its doppelganger. He stared and stared and I awkwardly clear my throat and hold out my hand.

"Uh, I'm Louella Fray, that's my sister, Clary." I introduce awkwardly and Hodge shakes my hand.

"Jocelyn Fairchild's daughters." Hodge said as if in amazement and then smiles "Your mother was one of my best friends."

"She's been kidnapped, by someone named Valentine and his men." Clary said in a rush grateful for someone who knew mom and I relax too because _please_ could someone speak some kind of sense into this.

"By the Circle, Hodge." Jace explains and Hodge's eyes are blown wide.

"But that's impossible. Valentine's dead and the Circle died with him." He said and then chokes like he was in pain.

"What's happening?!" Clary asks and I stare as _smoke_ beings to rise from Hodge's throat. The same place where there was a large red circle. It looked angry-red and not in a good way.

"I swore a vow never to speak of what we did. This is the Clave's way of making sure I keep that vow." Hodge said immensely bitter and who could blame him? Imprisoned for the rest of his life _and_ with some sort of torture-rune attached to his neck? Fuck no.

"We can't torture him Jace! Is there anyone else we can ask?" Clary asked and Jace just shakes his head. His lips were pressed in a firm thin line and his brow was drawn and set. He wasn't any happier about this than we were. Actually, he was probably more upset. And he'd still asked.

Hodge however, was actually the first to speak.

"If the Circle really is back, and they've taken Jocelyn…" Hodge said and then winced before visibly bracing himself. "Our leader, the leader of the Circle, was Valentine M-Morgenstern."

Then he almost collapsed and I started forwards because _damn_ that looked like it hurt. Before I could get so much as a step though, Hodge held out his hands in a universal 'I'm fine' kind of gesture and everyone backed off. Jace bristled but Hodge was talking again.

"We thought he wanted to protect humans, like all Shadowhunters, but we never realized the lengths which Valentine was willing to go. The people he was willing to sacrifice. Most of humanity would die if we carried out Valentine's plan."

"You're talking genocide." I say in horror and Hodge nods, once and brisk. I swallow. Fuck that wasn't good.

"I don't understand. How does my mother relate to _any_ of this?" Clary asked and then Hodge looks at us with something in his eye and suddenly, I didn't want to know. Too bad for me, Hodge didn't care about what I didn't want to know.

"Jocelyn was a member of the Circle as well." Hodge said and Clary choked and my jaw dropped.

My mother. My sweet protective artist mother. Part of some genocidal cult? That… that was like saying that Simon's sister was… was… I couldn't even _think_ it.

"I… I can't believe that my mother, she-" Clary spluttered and I needed to sit down. I really, _really_ needed to sit down.

"The important thing, is that Jocelyn _left_ the Circle. And none of this even matters, because Valentine died in a fire, _years_ ago." Hodge said panting and then suddenly he groaned and doubled over. I rush over and sort of fret because holy shit that looked like it hurt.

"Hodge, Hodge." Jace said rushing forwards as well and we sort of propped Hodge back shakily onto his feet.

"We can't keep asking him to do this!" Clary said tears in her eyes and Jace shook his head.

"Clary, we don't have a choice. You understand that, Hodge, right?" He looked to Hodge then a thousand apologies in his eyes and Hodge nodded drawing away slightly.

"Jace is right." He said and then took a deep breath to brace himself I slung one of his arms over my shoulder and nodded to Jace. Between the two of us, we should be able to support Hodge's awkward dead weight if it came to that. Jace nodded back and Hodge began to speak.

"Valentine nearly destroyed the shadow world and humanity along with it." Hodge said and then hissed through his teeth "If he'd gotten the Cup…"

"Wait a minute." Clary said bright and excited "My mother told us she'd hidden something from someone. If that's the Cup…"

"Clary, the mortal cup, is _the most_ important object in the shadow world. Whoever possesses it can create more Shadowhunters." Jace said and I frowned.

"Isn't that a good thing?" I asked and Hodge nodded.

"But in the wrong hands, it can control demons."

"Oh. Okay. That's real bad." I said awkwardly.

"If Jocelyn hid the cup from Valentine, then she's in more danger than you can possibly imagine." Hodge said through gritted teeth then he crumpled with a scream and Jace and I went down with him. Hodge did not need dislocated shoulders on top of his already shitty day.

"I hate to make you suffer like this." Clary whimpered as Hodge jerked.

"I'm so sorry." Hodge whispered like we'd done _him_ some great wrong "Your mother was only trying to protect you. And now its your turn to protect her. Stop Valentine… before he destroys us all."

Clary stared for a beat before she turned tail and fled. Jace chased after her but I hesitated and looked at Hodge.

"You…." I said then stopped because he was so obviously _not_ okay and there wasn't anything I could offer him.

"Go." Hodge said waving after my sister and I nodded.

"Thank you." I tell Hodge because he deserved that as pathetic as it was at least and then I ran after my twin just as she started ranting at Jace.

"Doesn't know what it's like to lose someone! To lose your own _mother_." Clary was saying and Jace crosses his arms.

"You're right. I never knew my mother." Jace snapped and that shut Clary up. Her rage vanished into guilt.

"I… I didn't know…" She said softly and Jace nodded as I drew up with them.

"That's precisely my point. You don't know anything about this. You don't know about me, you don't know about my life." Jace said and Clary was back to being mad as she glowers and rolls her eyes. Jace ignored it. "But in the Shadow World, no training and no plan gets you killed."

Clary stalks away but she doesn't go far. She looks to me and I nod at her.

"Okay." I say with a deep breath like I totally knew what I was doing. I didn't. "So. Plan. What do we know."

"So… Valentine is back and wants the cup." Clary listed and I nodded. I could go with that.

"And for some reason, he thinks mom might have it."

"Could she?" Jace asked and I shared a look with Clary. It was Clary that spoke.

"I don't know." She said and Jace made an impatient noise.

"Look, Clary, you know about runes, you've drawn them." Jace said and I frowned.

"Since when?" I demand because _that_ was new.

"My doodles. The ones that I never mean to do." Clary says and I stare.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. It's weird." Clary said wincing and I shake my head.

"You don't say." I mutter.

"Just, think. The two of you know something. Just think." Jace pressed but Clary couldn't be pressed any further.

"I've tried, Jace, okay?! It's just this empty blackness." Clary exploded and I frowned.

"No way." I say and Clary stares at me in challenge.

"Okay. Last month. When we were at that park. I was sketching, Simon was listening to some kind of song and you were reading. What do you remember about what happened after we ate lunch." Clary said and I frowned.

"What do you mean? We pigged out on fries and then there was this… this…" I said and then stopped because there had been _something_ that had happened after lunch but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what. "After lunch we… we went home. Right?"

Clary arched her eyebrows at me hands spread and I conceded her point.

"Right. Okay. Gaps in memory. What the actual fuck?"

"Your memory's been wiped." Jace said like it answered everything and Clary scoffed.

"That's not possible. Right?" She said staring at Jace who shook his head.

"It is if you know a warlock." He said and I groaned.

"Really? Now we've got Harry Potter running around obliviating people?" I groan and Jace stares at me.

"Who's Harry Potter?" He asks and I stare.

"Are you serious? Is he serious?" I ask looking to Clary who nods.

"Yeah, uh, pop culture and Shadowhunters don't mix apparently." She said and I nod.

"Right. Okay. In that case, ignore me." I said and Jace rolls his eyes. "So, what are warlocks?"

"They're immportal beings, half demon, half human. Sometimes their fingers spark." Jace said and Clary's eyes widened.

"Dot, she's my mom's assistant, her hands had this purple glow when she opened the wall and my mom pushed us through and we ended up at the police station!" Clary said excited.

"Yeah. That was… that was weird." I said and Jace nodded.

"That was a portal." He said "Dot must have been a warlock. Only warlocks can create them."

"Wait, so you're saying if we find the real Dot, she could help us find the cup and get my mom back?" Clary asked excitedly and even I felt a glimmer of hope.

"Unless she's working for valentine." Jace said and there went that glimmer of hope. Clary's face took a stubborn set and she nodded.

"Even better. She'll lead us right to him." She said and I choke.

"What? No! That's bad! Manic madman intent on killing off most of the world? Not someone you want to meet!" I say but Clary wasn't listening as she stalks back into the institute.

"Where's Simon."

"Clary! Hey! Listen to me!" I call after her but to no avail. I groan. Great. Just great.

 **A/N:**

 **Once again! Pairing help! I'm way to indecisive! Please help me out here! Anyone and everyone's on the table! You know, apart from people like Luke and Valentine, that would just be… yeah…. No.**


	4. Chapter 4: Lou I Am Your Father

**A/N:**

 **This chapter was supposed to be up earlier but… THAT MID-SEASON FINALEEEEEEE**

 **I needed time to recover. Then sob. Then recover. And then sob. It's a never ending cycle… truly…**

 **On another note, PAIRINGS! Plz help! Yes I'm yelling into the void I know. Please yell back?**

Chapter 4: Lou… I Am Your Father

"Do you have… better shoes?" I groan staring in the mirror and Izzy makes a noise of affront.

"Excuse you, those are _Burberry_." Izzy said offended and I stared down at them.

"Yeah. And they're six inches. I can't even _walk_ in these things." I say and Izzy makes a noise of disgust.

"Peasant." She says.

"Yup." I agree and gratefully take the ballet flats that she hand over.

"So, I have to ask, Simon?" Izzy says and I tie my hair up as best as it would go. It wasn't the _bright_ ginger that Clary had, it was off by a shade or two but it was still ginger. Clary and I were identical twins except there was just some line of jaw, some tiny slant of eye, hell maybe even some cheekbone angle that prevented us from looking _exactly_ the same. Or maybe that was just because we'd been staring at each other every single day of our lives.

"Friend. Crushing hard on Clary, who's completely oblivious." I say with a sigh and pronounce it as good as I'm going to get. I'd have liked some pants but I had seen the inside of Izzy's wardrobe. I'd just have to deal with potentially flashing someone.

"Ohh, triangle… or… square?" Izzy asked with a suggestive curl of her lips and an arched brow. I considered denying it and then figure that it'd never fly.

"It used to be. Then I ran away screaming because of all the drama." I admitted and then did a twirl. "Thoughts?"

"I'll assume that you're talking about the outfit and not your sad pathetic love life." Izzy said and I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks." I said dryly and Izzy beamed.

"All the naughty parts are covered, too much in my opinion but Clary tells me you're a prude." Izzy lamented and I nod.

"Yes. I am. Where's Wallace?"

"You really named your sword Wallace?" Izzy asked laughing as I pick Wallace up from where he was resting against the bed.

"I didn't, some ancestor or something did. It's supposed to grow on you."

"And has it?"

"God no. It sounds ridiculous." I admit with a wince and Izzy laughs but leads me out of the room none the less.

We find Clary and Simon arguing if you could learn how to kill demons off the internet.

"Don't do that. That's a bad idea. Remember all those Pinterest fails we laughed at?" I say briskly and Simon winced.

Meanwhile Izzy presses her hand against the wall and a rack of weapons slide out. Jace walks up and I gape. Not at Jace. At the secret stash of weapons. That was some James Bond shit right there.

"Whoa, no Izzy." Jace said smacking Izzy's hand slightly away from the sharp pointies and Izzy huffs.

"Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission." Izzy said just as Alec walks up behind us.

"I don't approve of this mission." He says and I wondered if it had been a suckers bet. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear, the little girls don't leave the premises."

"Hey, my name, isn't little girl, okay?" Clary shoots off "I don't care what that Clave thing or what _you_ want. I'm _going_ to find Dot."

"Hey. Cool it. They're doing us a huge favour." I say quietly and Clary huffs but falls quiet.

"Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need." Jace pointed out "With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary and Lou, they're not safe outside alone."

"Jace has a point." Izzy pipes up and Alec glares.

"You too, Izzy?" He asks incredulous and Izzy shrugs. Alec glares and then rounds on Clary. "All right, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search."

It was a challenge that my sister had no dream of ever meeting because that was the _problem_ we had no idea where Dot could be.

"Hey, lay off a little okay, this isn't exactly our usual weekend-" I say but then Clary cuts me off.

"We should start at Dot's apartment in Greenpoint, and there's this thrift store that she-" Clary blurted out before she suddenly stopped gaping and gasping.

"Clary? What the hell just happened?!" I yelp because the fuck my sister looked like she'd gone into some kind of trance. Clary fingers the necklace that had been given to her, more like shoved on her, by mom and she blinks rapidly.

"I… um… Weirdly, I think I know where Dot is." Clary said weakly and Simon nods.

"Great. I'll drive." He said immediately and everyone stares at him. It was so jarring, to hear something so _normal_. "What? Unless you have like a Shadowhunter-mobile or something."

There was silence. I shook it off and cleared my throat.

"No, no it's a good idea. Got your keys yeah?" I ask and Simon digs out his keys. Then he pauses.

"You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me… right?" He asks with a squeak and suddenly I didn't want to know where he'd been.

"Possibly." Jace said with a smirk and Simon spluttered.

"Wait… am I gonna die?" Simon squeaks and everyone else walks off. I took Simon by the arm so he doesn't get left behind.

"Don't worry Simon. If you die, I'll stab them for you." I offer and Simon stares at me.

"That reminds me, what's with the sword?"

"Oh, Wallace. Yeah. Birthday present."

"You named it _Wallace_?!" Simon said scandalized and I groan.

"No, I didn't name it that, some ancestor or something named it that." I grumble because I didn't have _that bad_ of a naming sense. I didn't. Simon stared and I jabbed him in the ribs as we chased after Clary and her merry gang of Shadowhunters. "Shut up. It's terrible, I know."

"I mean, couldn't they have chosen something else? Like… like Sting or Klingon or Needle-"

"Simon. Please stop making me feel worse about Wallace." I groan and Simon sheepishly shuts up. I nod.

I managed to nab the shotgun seat. Clary didn't mind _overly_ much since she got squished next to Jace.

"Alright. Where to." Simon asked starting the engine and Clary leaned forwards.

"The Pandemonium Club." She said and I looked back.

"You sure?" I couldn't help but ask and Clary nods.

"Yeah. I'm sure." She said and I could only accept it at that point. Simon peels away from the curb and the ride was spent with my leg jittering up and down.

Simon had barely put on the breaks when Clary all but dove out of the car half-jogging down the path and I scramble after her.

"Hey!" I call but Clary wasn't going to wait for anyone. The best the rest of us could do was follow.

Suddenly Clary touched her necklace, stiffened and then started running.

"Dot!" She screamed and I startled but ran after her.

"Clary! What's even going on?!" I shout because damn it there was only _so_ much weird I could take.

"Two men, Circle members, the same ones who came by my house, who took mom. They have Dot." Clary babble and I took her arm to keep her from running off.

"You sure about it." I say and Clary jerks her arm away in frustration.

"Yes! They're going to hurt or kill her Lou! We've got to stop them!" Clary all but screams in my face and takes off running towards the pandemonium club entrance. I groan and chase after her. Running head-first into _anywhere_ was just plain stupid. But Clary wasn't exactly all for thinking things through right now. I hated being the responsible one. People tend to hate you for it. Story of my fucking life.

The Pandemonium club was empty and Clary whimpered.

"There's no one here." I whisper to Clary and Clary makes a sound like she's going to cry.

"No… she was just trying to help us… now she's gone." Clary said and Simon touches her arm in comfort.

"Clary, I'm sorry." He said but Clary wasn't listening.

"You don't understand! Dot's like our big sister!" Clary shoots off and I quickly grip her hand.

"And right now, we got to get moving. Get to somewhere safe, then we'll figure out how to find Dot. Okay?" I ask and Clary opens her mouth and for a second I thought she was going to accuse me of not caring. But thankfully, before we could have a stress and fear induced cat-fight, Alec spoke up.

"It's not safe here. We have to go back to the institute right now." Alec commands and Clary whirls on him.

"So, what now?! Valentine has my mom and Dot, and we're just gonna give up?!" Clary demands and I pull her back.

"Clary, no. But right now, we have no idea where Dot is, where Valentine is, where mom is and we're in some empty club just waiting for something to attack us. Let's get back to somewhere safe and then we'll think up of plan B, okay?" I beg because damn it this was so not the time to have a full-blown argument.

"What about our memories. They can't be just gone right?" Clary demands and I groan. My baby sister had a one-track mind. Truly.

"Well… there is another option." Jace put forward and the reaction was immediate.

"Don't even." Izzy threatened.

"Absolutely not." Alec said firmly and Jace glared.

"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers." Jace said glowering.

"Who are the silent brothers?" Clary asked grasping at any straw given to her.

"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers." Jace said but there was a… discomfort there. Apparently, Silent Brothers weren't good news.

"Who possess the ability to recover memories." Izzy said and I perked up.

"That sounds good." I said "Why didn't we do that from the beginning?"

"Because the process can also kill you. So there's that." Alec said dryly and I deflated.

"Oh."

"Your bedside manner is abysmal." Simon told Alec and I had to clamp down on a laugh. Alec ignores him and rounds on Jace.

"We've broken at least eighteen Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones? There's no way. I won't allow it." He declares but Jace just gives him a long look back.

"This isn't our choice to make. It's Clary and Lou's." He said but apparently the silent brothers were Bad News because even Izzy disagreed.

"You can't ask them to do this. They don't know what they're facing. They're not prepared." Izzy said and if she was agreeing with Alec, I had a feeling that this was _bad_. Clary though, was all for it.

"If anyone can tell me another way to recover our memories and still get the answers we need, I'm listening." She challenged and there was silence. Clary smiled. I sighed.

"Fine. But whatever this shit is, I go first. Got it?" I tell Clary who opens her mouth and I give her the patented 'don't argue with big sister' look and Clary nods. "Good. Right. Let's do this. Whatever the hell this is."

"Alright." Jace said with a smirk and off we went. This was going to end very, very badly. And I'd just volunteered myself for tribute. Fuck. The things I did for my sister.

We were directed to under the Brooklyn Bridge and we all got out of the van to peer around at the possibly-haunted place. I think the van scared off a few hobos because there was a dumpster fire going pretty strong. Sorry guys.

"Well. This is creepy." Simon remarked and I gripped Wallace a little tighter.

"Yup. Super creepy. Like beginnings of a horror movie creepy." I complain and Simon nods.

"Yeah… this is going to end badly." He says and I honestly had to agree. Izzy scoffs.

"Don't tell me you're afraid." She said and Simon scoffs back.

"Are you kidding me? I was born afraid… that sounded better in my head." He said and I patted his back.

"We all come into the world kicking and screaming." I say and Simon nods.

"Let's check it out." Alec said striding forwards and so did Izzy. Clary made to follow but was pushed back by Jace.

"Wait here a minute. I want to see if its safe." He says and so we wait. In all honesty, I wasn't too eager to go into the potentially snake-infested weeds so I was good standing right by the van. It was safer by the van. Quick getaway.

"Why are we doing this?" Simon whispers "We don't even know these people."

"Tell me about it. This is so weird." I grumble and Clary rolls her eyes.

"You were passed out for two days Lou. Trust me. They're good people." Clary promises like she'd lived a lifetime with them and I took that with a bucket load of salt. Clary was alone in a strange place filled with strange people. Of course she would cling.

"Right. Gimme a little bit to process that would you?" I sigh and Clary gives me a gentle shove and then sighs.

"I just wish mom trusted us enough to tell us about all this you know?" Clary said shrinking into herself and honestly looking around, I could have been spared the details.

"How are you not weirded out by all this?" Simon asked and Clary shrugged.

"I guess I just always felt like there was something missing. Some void I couldn't quite explain. Things are finally starting to make sense." Clary said and that was some protagonist shit right there. Too bad I didn't feel the same way. Guess who was the hero of this story? It ain't me that's for sure.

"Well. Let me just say that I am very much weirded out by this shit and cannot wait to go back to normal." I say dryly and Clary smiled.

"Let's go find mom." She says and I nod. I could get behind that.

"Clary, Lou. Come on. It's all clear." Jace called and we go. Clary goes to take Jace's hand and Simon hesitates before shoving both his own hands in his pants pockets and hunches his shoulders. I pat him on the back in sympathy.

"You have to understand. The Silent Brothers aren't like us." Jace said and Clary snorted

"They what, lack your charm and superior people skills?" She asked and Jace nodded.

"Yeah. Most people do. Brothers communicate without using words, just their thoughts." Jace said and I nod.

"Well, then this should be easy." I said because telepathy? Nice. All I had to do was think at them. We'll be done in no time.

"Don't let their silence fool you. They'll hold the soul-sword above your head, and with its blade, carve the truth from your mind." Jace told me and I swallowed.

"Forget what I just said. How likely is that going to kill me?" I ask and Clary was suddenly gripping my hand tight.

"If your not strong enough, very." Jace said seriously and then turns to me "You should know, the pain will be excruciating."

"Lou! I can't get you to-" Clary says immediately but I shake my head.

"Let's do this before I wet myself, yeah? Not a good look. Clary, if I die, you get my fluff-babies. Look after them." I say and try to stop my hands from shaking. It doesn't work.

"Lou! This isn't a joke!" Clary said suddenly alarmed and I arch an eyebrow at her.

"Trust me. I know. Now let's get this over with." I say and I think Jace looks at me a little differently all of a sudden. Something in the eye. My, my was I earning _respect_?

"Alright." Jace said and he turned to keep walking. We follow.

We draw to a stop at a set of iron gates except they weren't just any gates. They were iron gates upon which a complete skeleton hung.

"Oooookay." I breath out staring at the thing and immensely regretting some key life decisions but Clary puts her hand in mine and suddenly I could take over the world with nothing but a toothpick.

"You don't have to go first. I can-" Clary says but I squeeze her hand.

"I got this." I say and Simon steps up.

"Yeah. You're Louella freaking Fray. You eat tough guys for breakfast and still have room for dessert. You can do anything." Simon says beaming and I give him a quick one-armed hug for that. It'd have been a full hug if it weren't for Wallace in my other hand. Didn't seem polite to accidentally knock your best friend out with a sword.

Simon starts forwards but is stopped by Jace.

"Ahhh, hold up." Jace said and Simon huffs.

"Surprise, surprise. No Mundanes allowed. Just like in the training room, right? Wrong. I've seen every horror movie ever made with Lou and the funny best friend who gets left behind, dead man." Simon says firmly and I had to agree with that. Leave no man behind.

"He comes with us." I say and Simon beams. Jace rolls his eyes as Izzy giggles.

"You're not that funny." Jace said dryly "But by all means, go ahead."

I sigh in relief and Simon starts forward only to be stopped once again by Jace.

"But the minute you enter, you'll die." Jace said and Simon turned slowly.

"Problem is, now I don't trust you." Simon said referencing the whole 'training room' incident. Apparently, someone had clued him in that he wouldn't die stepping on runes. News to me.

"He's not lying." Alec said.

"Now. He was before." Izzy giggled and I had to groan. Of course. Of fucking course.

"The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter so, please…" Alec said gesturing for Simon to go ahead and I sigh.

"Okay, but Simon's not staying outside alone. No way in hell." I say and Izzy was eager to volunteer.

"The brothers creep me out. I'll mind the mundane." Izzy says and Jace shakes his head.

"You're sacrifice is noted Izzy." He says and moves to get the skeleton door.

"Talk about sacrifice, I'm missing a financial analysis class." Simon hisses and Alec rolls his eyes.

"Just get going." Alec grumbles and heads to the door.

"I don't want to leave you…" Clary tells Simon suddenly insecure and Simon smiles.

"Go be a badass Shadowhunter. Alright? Get your memories back, save your mother. I'll be right here… guarding the entrance to hell." Simon joked and Clary nods. "You got this."

"Hey, Izzy." I say and she looks over and nods.

"He's in good hands." She promises and I nod.

"He's… he's like a brother. Look after him yeah?" I ask because I didn't like it. I didn't like Simon out here all alone and Izzy smiles.

"I promise. I can handle anything." She says and I still hesitate.

"Lou. Come on. You don't keep the silent brothers waiting." Jace said with impatience and I make an impromptu decision and shove Wallace at Simon.

"Anything happens, stab them. Yeah?" I ask and Simon flounders.

"But this… you need this." He says and I shake my head.

"I don't think so. But you might." I point out and Simon nods.

"I'll take good care of it." He promises and I run to catch up with Jace who was giving me the evil eyes. I got it, I got it, hurry up, thou shalt not keep Silent Brothers waiting.

We went through the creepy door and trotted down the creepy stairs. It was like going into a wine cellar. Except worse. Jace was gentleman enough to give Clary an arm. Alec offered no such thing and I'd rather fall flat on my face than ask. Alec was the sulky kind of unpleasant.

Further down we went it started to get wet and then dark and then can't see a thing dark and that's when the boys pulled out glowing _rocks_.

"What's that?" Clary asked softly. There was just something in the air. Something that told you to be silent. That noise was _bad_. Bad because if you made a noise, something was going to hunt you down and brutally murder you. Yeah. Sounded about right. I fucking hate my life right now.

"Witchlight." Jace whispers "We carry it to remind us that light can be found in even the darkest of places. And its cooler than a flashlight."

"If you're done?" Alec asks dryly striding forwards and I had to trot after him or risk losing that puddle of light. Alec shoots me a look and I huff.

"What? Light is good." I say in my own defence and he rolls his eyes but doesn't do the petty thing and take the light away.

We came across a statue. An angle with wings outstretched bearing cup and sword with a roman general's helmet upon it's head.

"Is that…" I ask and Alec looks over.

"The mortal cup and the soul sword. And the angle Raziel." Alec said softly and in gentle reverence. I look at the statue. Clary draws up and she got to hold the glowing rock.

"What's that say?" She askes staring at the latin inscription on the blade of the soul sword.

"Looking better in black than the widows of our enemies." Jace said and Clary giggled a little. Glad to know that someone was laughing. Me? I felt like pissing my skirts.

"My latin's pretty rubbish but I'm almost positive that's not what that says." Clary said and it was Alec that spoke up.

"For Shadowhunters, the descent into hell is easy." He said like he was quoting and the silence was suddenly uncomfortable.

"That should be on a post card." Clary says trying to break the mood and I shake my head.

"You send me that on a post card and I will slap you." I say and Clary grins.

"Get moving. We're going to be late." Alec commands and moves off with his puddle of light. I chase after him leaving Clary and Jace to bond. I could hear muttered conversation already. Alec wasn't happy about it. He was walking fast and brisk and if his brows furrowed anymore, they'd be touching.

We round the corner and suddenly it was bright again. A pool of light fell from the ceiling and illuminates something I can't quite see on the ground.

We walk forwards and Alec puts away the glowing rock but I stop short staring at all the bones that were suddenly visible. We were in a _crypt_.

"Are those…" I say shakily and Alec takes my arm and drags me along.

"Yes." He says short and sharp and offers no other explanation. I splutter but didn't ask anymore. I didn't need to. Fuck.

We draw up to the pool of light and stare at it. It was a symbol that looked like an Egyptian eye surrounded by bones that point outwards like the spokes on a wheel.

"I've drawn that before. But I don't know what it means." Clary says and I stare at it with no fucking clue either.

"It means Clairvoyance." Jace says and suddenly, the torches on the walls are lit with flame and both Clary and I jump out of our skins. Each torch was held by a… thing. A humanoid robed man except they weren't men. Not with their sunken skin. Not with their eyes and lips stitched closed with thick black thread that looked like they could burst open at any moment to spill forth decaying flesh.

I swallow and taste bile in the back of my throat and tell myself that throwing up on the robes of one of these guys was Bad with a capital B. They'd probably stitch _my_ mouth shut too.

One walks up and lowers his hood. I saw some sort of rune _carved_ into his forehead before a voice low and rasping echoed in my mind.

" _Go to the circle_."

"Right. Okay." I said shakily and Clary grabs my hand.

"Lou?" She asks and I swallow.

"I got this." I say despite that being such a big lie. Clary lets go and I step forwards across the spokes of bone and stand in the circle on top of the clairvoyance rune.

Then the voice echoed again.

" _Step away."_

The Silent brother gestured but not at me. It was at everyone else. Especially Clary who looked like she was about to dive in there right with me.

"It's fine. I'll be fine." I say lying through my teeth and pray that Clary doesn't see my shaking hands. It was hopefully dim enough.

Clary reluctantly steps back as Jace tugs at her arm and Alec backs up a few steps not looking at all broken up about it. I didn't blame the guy. Silent Brothers? Creepy as fuck.

" _The search of your unconscious… is a perilous one_." The Silent Brother said and I nodded.

"Yeah. My memories were blocked. I want them back." I say and just so I didn't sound like too much of a dick I quickly tacked on "Please. Can you help me?"

" _If you are not strong enough… the soul sword will kill you."_ The Silent Brother warned and I nod.

"Let's do this." I say and the Silent Brother nods. Then all the other brothers start to inch forwards and I suddenly got the image of flesh eating zombies. I quickly shook that thought away. No need to freak out so soon. Plus, their mouths were stitched shut.

The brothers stretched their hands up to the light from the ceiling and I looked up and gulped.

" _The soul sword reveals all."_ He said and down came a honest-to-god sword and I sent a quick prayer that it wouldn't drop and spear me through. I gulped and clenched my hands into fists. I could do this. I could so do this.

The sword dipped lower and lower and finally I shut my eyes because it was that or go cross-eyed staring at the thing.

Something cold touched my forehead just in between my brows and suddenly I wasn't in the crypt anymore.

It was like watching a video. But a video that you had no control over. Lights and sounds and action flowing all around you.

On the phone with Simon, and then the abrupt end to the call as Luke and mom walk by my bedroom door whispering.

"All this lying is destroying you. Stop blocking their memories and tell them the truth."

"I can't do that. You know I can't."

"You're just delaying the inevitable. They're Shadowhunters. There's nothing you can do to change that."

"This world is too dangerous! And Lou's already winning competitions in her Krav Maga classes. If anyone finds out who they really are, the risks would be a hundred times greater."

"Krav Maga classes aren't the real thing and you know it. What happens when they find out on their own? And then what?"

"I won't let that happen."

"If they ever learn about their father… if they ever learn that their father is Valentine…" Luke was saying but that… that oh dear god.

Then suddenly I was jerked out of the memory and I stagger and I was in the crypt again.

"Wait, wait, that can't be it. We just got started." I babble panting because what the fuck? No. Fuck no. My father was some soldier that went and got himself killed before we were even born. He was not the Big Bad. He was _not_ the Shadow World's version of Hitler. He couldn't be. He _can't_ be.

"Lou?!" Clary yelps as she comes running into the circle but I wasn't done the with the silent brother yet.

"That can't be it! Try it again!"

"Do you know where the cup is?" Jace demands along with Alec and I shook my head.

"No! But that's not the problem right now!"

"How's that not the problem?!" Clary demands and then the silent brother spoke.

" _Only fragements of her memory were accessible to us."_

"Then try again!" I demand and the silent bother tips down his head. I think he was gazing into my soul or something.

" _Your memory does not lie. You must accept what has been revealed_." The Silent Brother said and I struggled from Clary's hold.

"And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?!" I demand but the silent brother was already turning to leave. "Hey! Come back!"

"Lou! What did you see?!" Clary demanded and I looked to her and suddenly, I couldn't tell her. I had to keep this from her because… because… but that's what my mother had done to us. All these years that was what my mother had done. Lie to us to protect us. And now, Clary was going to have none of it.

I wanted to lie. I really wanted to say some bullshit lie but what lie could I tell? Only the truth.

"Mom lied about our father." I whisper and Clary stares.

"What? What does that have to do with anything? Did you see where the cup was? Where mom was?" Clary demands and I shake my head.

"No. It has to do with everything. Our father…" I say and Clary huffs impatient.

"This isn't the time! They're leaving!" Clary says frantic but I grab Clary and don't let go. "Lou!"

"Our father's Valentine Clary! Fucking Valentine!" I explode and Clary stops and stares.

"Wait. What?" Alec demands as Clary sinks to the ground and I follow her down. "So you're telling me, that these girls show out of nowhere and they're Valentine's _daughters_? Did it occur to anyone that they might be a spy? That this might be part of their _plan_?"

"That's enough, Alec." Jace said softly but Clary was distressed and eager for someone to lash out against. Alec made a good target.

"Do you think I planned for my mom to get kidnapped? Or, or for dot to be taken? Or to dangle a giant _sword_ over my sister's head and to find out that our father is one of the most dangerous people in the world?! Really?!" Clary demanded and then she was suddenly up and bolting away.

"Clary!" I call and run after her because fuck the Shadowhunters, my sister needed me more.

We burst outside and Clary looks around frantic.

"Where's Simon?!" She yelps and I look around.

"Izzy's with him. And he's got Wallace." I say praying that he's alright and just like that, Izzy appears. Alone. I pale. "Don't you dare tell me you lost him!"

"I told him to stay in the van." Izzy said trying to explain "I've searched everywhere. I can't find him."

"You were supposed to protect him!" Clary shouted and then took off. "Simon!"

I chased after my sister because damn it damn it damn it Simon was never supposed to have been part of this.

We reach the van and Clary dives inside as if Simon is hiding underneath the seats. All she pulls out from underneath them is Wallace.

"Oh god." I say and take back my sword but it offers no comfort. None at all.

"Simon!" Clary screams backing out of the van and suddenly a voice echoes.

"Is that the mundane's name?!" It was male, smooth and we all look around until my eyes settle on a beam of the bridge where two figures stood. A man and a woman, both pale, both standing upon that beam as if it were flat ground. The woman held a trussed-up Simon by his ankles.

"YOU PUT HIM RIGHT DOWN BITCH!" I shout because oh hell no they were not taking Simon.

"I'm afraid he's coming with us." The man said not at all intimidated by me and I wanted to brandish Wallace in his face. See if he was intimidated then.

"No! No! He's not a part of this!" Clary screams and I resist the urge to draw Wallace. What the hell was I even going to do? Throw it all the way up _there_? Yeah right.

"And it would be my _pleasure_ to kill you unless you return him." Jace called up much more controlled and thankfully with an arm full of Clary.

"Careful. We'd be violating the Accords." Alec reminded and the man smirked.

"I'm afraid your sidekick's quite right. The Night Children have broken now laws. We're negotiating." The man said.

"THE FUCK YOU ARE! THAT'S KIDNAPPING DICKHEAD!" I scream but I was thoroughly ignored.

"The mundane, unharmed, in exchange for the Mortal Cup. And the clock is ticking. Tick-tock people." The man said as Clary gasps and suddenly they vanish, Simon's last yelp vanishing with him.

"GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!" I scream into thin air and Clary was screaming behind me but there was no one to hear. Fuck.

 **A/N:**

 **HELLLOOOOOOOOO!**

 **Yes, I'm pestering you again. Help me? Please? Pairings? PM me if you don't wanna put it in the comments? Something? Anything? Help?**


	5. Chapter 5: Hotel Transylvania

**A/N: I'm back! After sulking for months and going on a rampage on twitter! Still rampaging but writing to calm myself down… I love this fandom. It is truly the best. Planes, billboards in TIMES SQUARE, and now M &Ms? Holy hell you guys are awesome. **

Chapter 5: Hotel Transylvania

"I don't understand. How can Shadowhunters be better than what you people call Mundanes." Clary complained as we walked through the halls of the institute once again and I honestly didn't care about that right now but Clary was a talker when she was worried. I stewed in silence and broke things. Clary was far healthier.

"Because we protect humans." Izzy said with irritation and Clary smirked.

"You're right. Humans. You protect humans. You left Simon all alone in that van. Great job guys. You rock." Clary said and I sighed.

"Clary." I say but she wasn't having any of it and just ignored me. Alec rolled his eyes.

"There is some truth to the idea that human beings should have a modicum of common sense." He said and I wanted to punch him all of a sudden. Not a clue why.

"Alec. Not now." Jace sighs "Look. They won't do anything to Simon. They just want to draw you out. They want the cup and they think you have it."

"Why do they think that? Why does anyone thing that? What, my mom lies to us our entire lives except 'oh by the way, there's this magic cup, I hid on, like, the Planet Bongo, but don't tell anyone?!" Clary demanded and I nudged her.

"Okay. So they think that we know where the cup is, how does that help Simon?" I ask and Alec sighs.

"We have to report this to the Clave." He says. "They have to know what we learned about Valentine."

"Great." Jace says dryly.

"What? That he's my father? Great. Fine. Tell them. But how does that help Simon?" Clary demands and my sister does have a point. That didn't help Simon. At all.

"Clary, it's all connected. The vamps want the cup." Jace said like it was obvious.

"Why? It makes new Shadowhunters." Clary pointed out and I had to agree. It was useless to vampires wasn't it?

"Nobody wants Valentine forming an army loyal to himself." Alec said.

"Plus, it controls demons." Izzy tacked on and yeah, that bit was bad.

"They'll propose a trade. Simon, for the cup." Jace said and Clary huffed.

"So the vampires will trade Simon for the cup, Valentine will trade my mother for the cup, either way, I lose someone I love. Why don't I toss it up in the air and let them fight for it among themselves."

"So this doesn't matter to you?" Alec demands and I sigh.

"Yes! Of course it matters!" Clary blurt out and then calms herself and turns pleading eyes to Jace. "Listen… when you saved our lives… I put my trust in you. Now, I need you to put your trust in me. I can't turn into what you are overnight."

"It's true. She was raised a mundane." Izzy pointed out and Alec glared.

"What are you, her spokesman now?" He demanded and Clary straightened.

"I don't need a spokesman. I need a plan." She declares and I could get behind that.

"Okay. Plan. Let's do this." I say and Clary nods running into the institute and to all the screens.

"Look at all this stuff, these screens. I mean, can any of this help me find Simon? Where is he anyway? Some kind of crypt in Transylvania?" Clary asks rambling in her desperation before coming to a stop where Izzy, Alec and Jace were gathered around a table.

"Actually, no. That was Camille's outfit right? They're locals." Jace said and Izzy nods.

"They're at the Hotel DuMort, down in Gransevoort Street." Izzy supplied and I stared.

"You're serious? Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's _go_." I said but they all shake their heads.

"We need a Clave resolution for that." Alec said and I stared.

"What the fuck is that and why the fuck do we need it?" I demand because damn it Simon's life was _not_ going to hinge on paperwork.

"We can't just declare war on the vamps all by ourselves." Izzy supplied and I stared.

"And we can't react without considering our options. Downworlders are slaves to their impulses. We're not." Alec said and well… that just sounded kind of racist.

"Alec, you can't just stomp on all the Downworlders." Izzy said with a smirk and Alec rolled his eyes.

"Oh, that's right. Seelies have their charms. Apparently." Alec said dryly.

"Right?" Izzy beamed and Clary stared.

"Seelies?" She asked and it was Jace that answered.

"Like faeries. The Fair Folk. Add pixies, nixies, elves. Anybody half-angle, half-demon. It's pretty much a catch-all term." Jace said and Clary stared I blinked. Fairies? Really? Disney kind or vicious little demon kind? I was betting vicious little demon. There was no way I'd get lucky with the Disney kind.

"Izzy can tell you all about them. She's got a thing." Alec said dryly and Izzy smirked.

"We've all got our things, don't we?" She said and Alec looks away.

"Okay, since Tinkerbelle doesn't have Simon, this doesn't help him." I say and get stares for the Tinkerbelle comment. Right. Shadowhunters live under rocks.

"You know what? I guess we'll just have to take care of this ourselves." Clary declares and starts to drag me off and it took a moment for my brain to compute.

"Wait, what?! You want to storm a vampire hotel. Alone." I state "That is _not_ a good idea!"

"I won't be alone. I've got you. And Wallace." Clary declare as if that was equivalent to a tank and I jerk her to a stop.

"Okay, that is _not_ how it works, I've told you this before. Also. I don't know how to use a sword! You'll get the _both_ of us killed and maybe if we're lucky, we can throw Simon into that deal too!" I say because damn it this was insanity. Clary puffs up and then huffs out anger gone as quickly as it had come.

"Your sister's right Clary." Jace said and Clary spins on her heel to stalk back towards him.

"Then help me. While we consider other options, my best friend is suffering. Is that something Shadowhunters understand or am I just being a mundane?" Clary spits and while that could have gone better, I agreed.

"They _kidnapped_ Simon and they're holding him for ransom. That's _got_ to violate some law somewhere right?" I beg and the Shadowhunters look amongst each other.

"They're right." Jace puts forwards "The vampires made the first move. We gotta take care of this ourselves. Right now."

"This is a bad idea." Alec said immediately.

"Well have you got a better one?" Jace demands and Alec glowers. "Look. The vamps broke the accords. They kidnapped a Mundie. That's a big no-no. The Clave will give us a lecture and then they'll be glad we did it. Come on."

"Hard to argue with that." Izzy admits and Alec sighs.

"Even if we went ahead, I don't see how we get out of here without having to explain where we're going. We need weapons, and we can't let anyone see us get them." Alec pointed out. Sure he was half-trying to shoot the plan down before it had even started but at least he was providing logic to this whole shit-show. I could do with more logic in my life.

"I know where to get what we need." Jace said with a grin and Clary beams. I grip Wallace. Simon here we come.

I drove since no one else was all that good behind the wheel. Clary was… okay but by far not the best.

We pulled up beside a cemetery.

"Whose grave is it?" Jace asked hopping out of the van in one smooth movement.

"Mary Milligan, born January tenth 1802, died January tenth 1878." Izzy said consulting her phone and I stared.

"Wait. Your brilliant plan is _grave robbing_?" I ask because that was so _not_ a brilliant plan.

"It's not grave robbing, it's a cache of weapons." Jace said exasperated "Stashed here with Mrs Milligan."

"Why are there Shadowhunter weapons in a churchyard?" Clary asked thrown.

"Because all of the ancient religions recognized demons. Or at least they used to." Izzy said and I frowned.

"Actually, Christianity is a ridiculously young religion. All other major religions predate it by at _least_ -" I say and then shut up because everyone was staring "I grew up in an antiques shop okay?"

The staring didn't stop so I quickly moved forwards. Behind me some type of argument started up and Alec got sent to the naughty-angel corner. Clary stuck with Jace because those two had _bonded_ when I hadn't been looking and I was left awkwardly on my own. Great. Just great.

Izzy's phone rang cutting through the whisper-silence and we all turn to stare.

"Excellent. He's home. I'm outta here." Izzy says and Clary splutters.

"Wait, aren't you coming with us?" She asks and I was thrown too. Izzy _had_ followed all the way to the cemetery after all, and she was leaving _now_?

"Oh I wouldn't miss this for the world." Izzy assured but already walking away "But I gotta find out how to get into the vampires' lair. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

With a jaunty wave Izzy was gone.

"Jace, over here!" Alec called and Jace went, but not before giving Clary looks.

"Do we have to have a talk?" I whisper as Clary and I move away glancing at graves and Clary's face heats up.

"No!" She squeaks and I was thoroughly unconvinced.

"Right. And you haven't been making eyes at Jace all day." I point out slightly upset and slightly… no, I was just upset.

"What?! No I haven't!" Clary denies heatedly and I honestly felt sorry for poor Simon. There was just no competing with that sort of head-over-heels fascination.

"Clary, look, I get that you've known him longer than me and I get that he really helped you out when I was unconscious but… could you _please_ put on the breaks a bit?" I ask softly and Clary huffs.

"There's nothing _to_ break." She says in that tone of voice that tells me she's knee deep in denial and unlikely to surface anytime soon. I sigh.

"Just use your head okay?" I sigh and Clary stalks off like she hadn't heard me. Great talk. Clary shouts in triumph. Well, at least on the bright side, we found the tomb. So there was that.

"I found it! Mary Milligan!" Clary calls over in excitement to the boys who were still lingering around the naughty-angel corner and they rush over. "Beloved servant? Who wants that on a headstone?"

"Someone who is in service to a cause greater than themselves." Alec says briskly as Jace takes out his Stele. Clary makes a rather unimpressed face.

"At least she is now." Jace said happily tracing a rune on the tomb. It was one of those old casket types, raised above the ground and carved marble. "Abracadabra."

"Wait. You people actually say that?" Clary blurts out and I stare too because no way in hell was I saying that.

"No, Clary, we don't." Jace said and Clary looked away. I nudged my sister who pretended that she didn't feel it. The boys gripped the top of the tomb and with a grind of stone on stone, spun the lid to open the tomb.

Inside was another casket, except smaller but still similarly carved. Jace reached in ignoring all the spider webs and heaved open the lid.

We all peered into what was inside. Two long dull blades that were pretty much swords. Two shorter ones that looked like the swords in slightly-miniature. A small collection what I _think_ are throwing knives, a wicked-looking dagger and an honest to God hammer.

"Where's Mrs Milligan?" Clary asked reaching in for a blade and I shrugged.

"Cremated?" I suggested because otherwise there was a skeleton under this thing and that was all _kinds_ of wrong.

"Don't touch that." Alec said in irritation but Clary wasn't listening as she inspected her faintly-glowing blade. "You don't know how to use it."

"What? Like at pandemonium when I killed that demon?" Clary challenged and I arched an eyebrow. Did she mean when she was holding that lightsabre and a demon was literally _thrown on_ the blade? Somehow, I didn't think that counted. At all. Alec wasn't impressed either but for the sake of sibling solidarity, I stepped between them.

"Alec!" Jace called stopping the brewing fight "See what you need in here?"

Alec reluctantly gives it a rummage before he pops back up.

"No. There's no bow here. I need one." He says as Clary trots off swinging her faintly-glowing lightsabre around and I watch with half an eye slightly concerned. There was a reason I didn't swing Wallace around. It was because I didn't know how the fuck to use a sword and thus it was dangerous. I'd honestly be more likely to take a chunk out of not only some innocent bystander but _myself_ as well. Clary, didn't seem to think about that.

Then again, I didn't blame her. I'd been _taught_ not to handle weapons I didn't know how to use. Neutralise the weapon, but if you didn't know how to use it, for fuck's sake don't. It won't end well. I'd learned that, after getting my ass kicked every week by my Krav Maga teachers for almost a decade. Clary was still in the 'hey cool, weapons' phase of beginner level. I'd made the same mistake as well when I was younger so no judgement here but looking at it now, it had been a stupid move. It still _was_ a stupid move. And I was about to storm a vampire nest with a sword that I didn't know how to use. That wasn't a stupid move. That was me being a fucking moron and screwing myself over. Why was I doing this again?

Oh. Right. Because Simon was kidnapped by Dracula and I had no better plan.

"I have to rune some arrows. That's back at the institute. I gotta go." Alec decided and I blinked.

"Well, how are you gonna get back in the institute?" Jace asked confused and Alec shrugged.

"Go in the back. Won't bother me if I'm alone." Alec said smoothly.

"And how are you going to _get_ there exactly? You can drive?" I ask and Alec rolls his eyes.

"No." He said it like it was obvious and I stare.

"So… what, you're just gonna _walk_?" I ask and Alec shrugs. "Okay, you know what, I'll drive you back."

Alec stares. Then he glowers.

"I don't need you to do me any favours." He says brisk and I shrug.

"Well, would you rather _walk_?" I point out and Clary pipes up.

"That's a good idea Lou. It'll be faster." She says and I didn't shoot a look at my sister who was trying to get rid of me so she could make goo-goo eyes at Jace. Alec glowers and then sighs.

"Fine." He grits out and I nod fishing out the keys and tossing them into the air.

"Great. Let's go." I say catching the keys and off we go leaving Jace to Clary. Three steps and then Alec doubles back and pulls Jace aside. It was a private conversation so I walk to Clary and examine the lightsabre.

"Very glowy." I say to drown out the whisperings between Alec and Jace and Clary nods absently. Somebody's eavesdropping. But the conversation wasn't that long and with a bro-hug, the boys say their goodbyes and Alec turns to glower at me in irritation.

"Let's go." He said impatient and I pat Clary on the shoulder.

"No goo-goo eyes." I whisper and then run for it as Clary splutters and tries to smack me forgetting that she had a _sword_ in hand. I narrowly dodge and catch up with Alec.

The drive was awkward with Alec keeping his mouth closed as he glowered out the window. It was a very intimidating silence, and I broke after a good three minutes.

"So. Why do you hate me and my sister? You know, apart from the whole Valentine is our father thing. Or is it just that?" I ask hands on the wheel and staring resolutely forwards. I didn't really care all that much. I just needed some _noise_ to make up for the stifling silence.

"Well let's see. You come out of nowhere. You throw this whole place upside down. Your mother had the _mortal cup_ , which by the way, no one can seem to find, oh, and your father's the man threatening the existence of the entire Shadow World. Do I _need_ more reasons to not like you?" Alec demands and put like that, he was the one being reasonable here.

"Okay. I guess that's fair. Then why're you helping us?" I couldn't help but ask and Alec sighs but doesn't give me an answer. The silence is even sulkier than before. I open my mouth to talk again but Alec holds up a finger and points it at me.

"Stop talking." He commands and I shut up. Fine. Asshole.

I hit the buttons on the radio and some old sixties song comes on. I leave it to fill the silence even as Alec glares at me for my music choice. He can suffer.

The rest of the ride is silent and I pull up behind the institute as per Alec's directions.

"Stay here. Don't even _think_ about moving." Alec commands and I stare.

"Uh, no. Remember what happened the _last_ time someone was left alone in the van? I'm coming." I say immediately and Alec stares.

"You have a sword."

"So did Simon." I point out and Alec rolls his eyes. I'm sure he muttered something very unflattering as he hopped out but since I couldn't hear him, I couldn't throw something at him. Still, he hadn't told me to stay in the van again so I chased after him. After locking the van of course. People would steal anything these days.

Sneaking back into the institute consisted of Alec and I just walking in while not trying to seem overly suspicious. Alec hits the spot on the wall that makes the weapons racks slide out and grabs his bow and after a quick glance around, a few handfuls of arrows.

Then he bundles it all to a table and turns to me with great reluctance.

"Keep watch." He whispers and I stare.

"How? You're literally doing it in the middle of the room on a table. What am I supposed to do?" I demand and Alec rolls his eyes.

"Just tell me if someone comes." He commands and then turns to run his stele up and down an arrow.

Alec gets through five arrows before Hodge walks up with a cup of tea. I kick Alec in the leg with my heel while awkwardly trying to shield him from view.

"Hi Hodge!" I say loudly, too loudly, and then smile my best smile. Hodge gives me a deadpan 'don't even try that shit with me' look and we were _so_ busted.

"Hodge! I, uh… we were… uh." Alec flounders and then looks at me like I was going to save him.

"Alec was just uh… teaching me how to…" I say and then give Alec frantic begging eyes because I had no fucking clue what he had been doing.

"Rune arrows!" Alec blurts out and I nod.

"Yeah. It's really useful." I say with as much conviction as I could utter and Alec nods. Hodge eyes Wallace in my hand.

"Rune arrows?" He asks dryly and I hide Wallace behind my back.

"Well, you know, can't just rely on a sword right?" I ask awkwardly and Hodge stares at me.

"You have no idea what that sword is do you?" He asks and I stare down at Wallace and then up at Hodge.

"Some really old family heirloom named Wallace?" I try and wince at how ridiculous that sounds. Hodge looks amused.

"That old family heirloom is hundreds of years old, forged by Wayland the Smith himself from adamas ore, runed by the Iron Sisters. It was a famous sword, back in the day. One of your mother's favourites." Hodge said and then frowned "But… Wallace?"

"Okay, I've got to ask at this point, did my mother make up that name just to mess with me?" I demand because damn it _why_. All that history, all that 'wow factor' and then it all comes crashing down with _Wallace_. I mean… really?

"She always did have a peculiar sense of humour. But no. I don't think she made up that name." Hodge said and I groan. My ancestors _sucked_.

"Lovely." I sigh but give Wallace an affectionate pat. The name wasn't growing on me but the sword was. Hodge smirks and then meanders away like he hadn't seen anything.

"Hodge. Thank you." Alec said and Hodge turned back with a smile.

"You remind me of me Alec." Hodge says with a kinds smile and walks back over to lay a hand against the side of Alec's neck. Odd choice since most guys go for the shoulder but hey, maybe it was a Shadowhunter thing. "Loyal friend. Standing in the shadow of the chosen one."

Alec snorts at that and I itch to get away because this was _so_ not my business.

"I'll just… go. Over there. Right now." I stammer and run for it pretending that I was seeing something highly interesting on a screen and doing my best not to listen. Since the room was silent, I wasn't having much luck.

"Hey, don't make the same mistakes I did. Look where it got me." I heard Hodge say before his footsteps sound and I peek over. Hodge is walking off and Alec is staring after him. I turn back to stare at the screen because _nope_ , so not my business. Also, I did not want in on _that_ drama. Chosen one? Please. That was like something straight out of a trashy YA novel with bad smut scenes. Harry Potter had made the whole 'chosen one' cliché. Actually, no, wait, it was probably cliché before that and JK. Rowling just tricked us all into liking it.

"You done doing nothing of use?" Alec asks with irritation and I resist the urge to flip him off. Asshole.

"You want to drive?" I challenge and hold out the keys. I thought he was going to take me up on it just to prove a point but then he glares and slouches off. Yeah I didn't think so.

I get to drive and Alec reads some text from Izzy and directs me to a meat factory.

Alec is silent until we spot Izzy. Then he speaks up.

"Izzy. Where are we exactly?" He asks dryly and Izzy beams looking quite fetching in her blood red dress.

"It's an old meatpacker's service entrance. If we go back there, we come up into the basement of Hodel DuMort. Perfect right? We distract the vamps, Clary and Jace have time to find Simon." Izzy said very proud of herself and I blink.

"Wait, I'm part of the distraction?" I complain because I wanted to go find _Simon_.

"The little girl that can't even use a sword _stays out of the way_." Alec snaps and I open my mouth to argue but then shut it. That was a valid point even though I hate to admit it. I didn't voice the petulant thought that _Clary_ got to run around saving Simon. Look at me, heaps big mature adult. Yeah right.

"What no good job?" Izzy huffs "It was hard work interrogating Melion to get this intel."

"Great job, Izzy." Alec said his voice dripping with sarcasm. Ah siblings. "You have faerie dust on your dress. And I _hate_ being the distraction."

"I don't!" Izzy says with a smile and I try to walk as silently as possible. "You know, you'd be a lot happier if you weren't so frekin' repressed!"

Ohhh boy. Could I vanish into the walls? No? Oh. Won't stop me from trying. I stay back as far as I dare doing my best to be one with the cold concrete walls.

Thankfully, Alec just ignores Izzy and keeps walking. I breath out a sigh of relief.

"So, Simon's going to be okay right? He won't get bitten or turned into a vampire or anything like that?" I ask nervously just so that we can stop talking about _feelings_ and I think Alec latches onto the topic with gusto.

"No. To turn a mundane into a vampire means that they have to drink vampire blood, die a human death and then rise from their grave. Killing a mundane breaks the accords, they won't do that. Not when your _father_ is running around trying to build an army to destroy them all. Most they'll do is put him under an encanto." Alec says and I ignore the dig in the 'father' comment.

"What's an encanto? That sounds bad." I say and Izzy laughs.

"It's just a mild hypnotism. Nothing permanent. And even if a vampire takes a couple of bites, he'll enjoy it. Vampire venom. Loads of sexy juice." Izzy said and I stared.

"That does _not_ sound good." I squeak "How long does it last? Are we going to have to drag him away? What if he comes back on his own and doesn't realize?"

"Your little mundie is going to be fine. Now be quiet and stay out of the way." Alec snaps and I flip him off behind his back. "I saw that."

"Oh yeah? What'd I just do?" I challenge and Alec doesn't dignify that with a response. Izzy smirks, pats me on the back, and then trots up to annoy Alec again. I wasn't stupid so I hang back.

I still hear them.

Why me?

"You're really not gonna talk to me are you?" Izzy asks softly but there was that whiny little-sister-demand in there that I knew _very_ well. I didn't quite have Clary's bubbly go-getter personality. I had always been the more reserved one, and so, mom had treated me like I was _years_ not minutes older than Clary. I didn't mind it most of the time, my mindset was just different from Clary's. It did however shape me into who I was today, both good and bad I imagine.

"That's because you have no idea what you're talking about." Alec dismissed peering around a corner before rounding it completely. I wonder how safe would it be to remain out of sight and out of earshot. Then I decide that was a stupid idea. Between being uncomfortable and being dinner, I'd take uncomfortable.

"But I do. You're hiding from yourself, not me." Izzy insists persistently chasing after him "You have feelings, whether you like 'em or not Alec."

"This is not the time _or_ the place Izzy." Alec says irritated as he opens a door and Izzy shrugs.

"I don't know, looks pretty smooth so far." She says and then promptly jinxes us because I see movement through the door and a squeak comes out of my throat. Alec slams the door shut just as something collides with it and Izzy throws herself at the door too.

"Well, not that smooth." Izzy amends as they start banging on the door and I splutter. Alec takes out a stele and starts drawing.

"What do I do?!" I demand because I should be doing something.

"Hold the door!" Izzy says as she grabs me by the arm and all but throwing me at the door. I switch places with her in a twirl of movement and quickly shove with all I was worth at the door.

The tremors threaten to send me flying as Izzy draws her lightsabre and slashes a segment of pipe from overhead.

Then, quick as her whip, she jamms that piece of metal pipe through the handle of the door and behind some more piping in the side. She'd made an impromptu lock. Alec steps away from the door and so do I.

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword was an idiot." Izzy said very proud and I couldn't help but stand there and stare at the pipe because… what? That was metal. I had just seen a lightsabre cut through _metal_ and if that wasn't kind of scary I don't know what was.

"Move." Alec said impatient and grabs me by the arm to drag me a few steps back. The door bangs and there are snarls from behind it and dear god the metal was _bending_.

"How strong are these guys?!" I shriek because damn it, why the hell are vampires allowed to _bend_ metal?

"Very." Izzy chuckles and I really couldn't find the humour in the situation. "Do you think they know where we are?"

"That's the idea right? How long do you think we have to distract them for?" Alec asks and I do my best not to squeak.

"Ten more minutes." Izzy says easily with a smile and Alec stares.

"Ten minutes? Are you kidding? We're liquid lunch in five." He says and yeah I really wanted to whimper now.

"Well. That's great. How do we avoid that?" I squeak gripping Wallace and reminding myself that I had absolutely no fucking clue how to use a sword properly. Shit I was so going to die. Clary had better get Simon.

"By distracting them." Izzy says as her whip suddenly unfurls in her hand and Alec pulls out his bow and nocks an arrow.

"So let's distract them." He agrees confident as could be and I draw Wallace carefully all the while cursing my own stupidity.

"You better get ready." Izzy says and I gulp and move to the side so I don't accidentally clip anyone with Wallace.

"I am so not ready." I groan and Izzy laughs.

A hand snakes through the door and removes the metal pipe.

A bald vampire steps through hitting every cliché there was. All in black. Suit. Fangs. Snarl. Pale. Yup.

Who exactly was the idiot standing in a _meat packer factory_ facing off against a nest of vampires with nothing but a sword that they didn't know how to use? Oh. Right. This idiot.

Izzy lashes out with her whip and it catches the vampire around an ankle. She gives a heave and it not only knocks him off his feet but drags him within stabbing distance. Her arm rises as Alec lets loose an arrow hitting the last vampire in line. Too bad the middle guy was too fast and was now circling at me. I grip Wallace and pretend to look like I know what I'm doing. I don't. And it shows. Fuck.

The vampire leaps with a screech and I swipe Wallace hoping to hit something half-way important as I stumble back because I was _so_ not prepared for vampires trying to kill me.

I catch him across the face out of pure luck and it causes the vamp to shrink back and wail like he was in pain. Then an arrow skewers him through the head and he vanishes in a flash of flame that turns him to dust.

I think Alec gives me a rather disgusted look but I was too busy trying to get my breathing under control because _fuck fuck fuckity fuck I was not ready for this shit_.

"This is fun." Alec remarks as he lines up his next shot as vampires appear in the doorway. They clue in pretty fast because they back away out of the line of fire very quickly.

"How is this fun?!" I yelp and Izzy laughs.

"Keep coming boys!" She taunts and I grip Wallace until my knuckles go white. I'm probably not meant to. If I survive this shit, I was getting someone to teach me how to use this sword properly. Maybe Hodge. Izzy maybe?

"Please stop antagonizing them." Alec grumbled even as he let that arrow fly. It took one right in the eye and that prompted everyone else to start running for us. I made a pathetic little 'eep' sound and frantically tried to swipe at a vampire that was coming at me head first.

It roared ducking the first swipe and I fell on my ass as it jumped me. More out of luck than intention, Wallace was pointed and the vampire impaled himself on the blade in one abrupt movement.

He went up in flames and I shrieked.

There was a roar and I looked over, Wallace still pointed awkwardly in the air as Izzy stabbed the last of the vampires smoothly and without a flinch.

Me? I was hyperventilating.

"Oh my god. Did I just kill some one? Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck." I whimper shaking and Alec gives me the most unimpressed look he could muster.

"You done?" He asks dryly and I stare at him not really processing. Done? Done with what?

"You did great." Izzy assured and gave me a hand up. I didn't feel like I'd done great. In fact, I felt sick.

"If you throw up, we're leaving you behind." Alec snaps and then stalks through the door. I swallow the sour bile that was threatening to crawl up my throat and hurry after him sword still somehow miraculously in hand.

The rest of the vampires seem to have fled because the journey to Clary and Jace passed without seeing a single soul.

I rounded the corner just in time to hear Clary scream and the sight froze me for a split second. Clary was behind held pressed up tight against a vampire who looked more than willing to tear her throat out.

Alec however, didn't miss a beat.

"Okay." He said arrow drawn and suddenly he let it fly. The arrow smashed clean through the concrete _wall_ allowing sunlight to spill through and hit the vampire directly in the face turning him to ash and Clary stumbled away with a shriek.

"Clary!" I yelp rushing forwards and Clary looks dazed. "You alright?!"

"What… yeah, Jace!" Clary says eyes landing on Jace who was getting the stuffing beaten out of him by two vampires and I shove Clary behind me.

"Stay there." I say and then start forwards and quick as I could, kick the closest one as hard as I could in the head.

The vampire tumbled off of Jace with a snarl but the other one leaps at me and I shriek stabbing blindly forwards with Wallace.

The vampire goes up in flames and I stagger back as Jace finishes the last vampire off with some twirly sword move.

"Oh my god, Lou!" Clary yelps and I swallow thickly and tell myself that I can throw up later.

"You're on a _roll_." Izzy praises and I take slow measured breaths so that I don't start panting again. I'd just committed _murder_. Twice. Fuck.

"You just killed a guy." Clary said horrified and I look at her feeling even _worse_. Actually, I felt like I was going to _cry_.

"I… he…" I stutter but Alec of all people lays a hand on my shoulder and nods.

"He was the enemy. You did the right thing." He says like it would fix everything and it _doesn't_. But the fact that he'd said it despite hating my guts meant a hell of a lot. So I nod and swallow the tears and pretend that what he'd said fixed everything.

"Yeah. Thanks." I say but my hands are shaking and I'm gripping Wallace so tight I think I might break my own knuckles. I think everyone sees that but no one mentions it. Or maybe they don't see it.

"Let's go find Simon." Clary says like she's pushing the whole 'murder' issue to the back of her mind and focusing on something else. I was on board with that plan. In fact, I loved that plan.

"Let's." I agree and we make another jog through the hallways of the vampire hotel. I go pretending that I wasn't having a crisis. Well, I wasn't. It was just waiting in the back of my mind. Was it cruel to not want Simon back just so I could keep my distraction?

Yes. Yes it was. Fuck I'm a terrible human being.


End file.
